Burning Love
by pdshalstud
Summary: As a firefighter and firehouse paramedic, things on the job can get pretty heated. But the heat between Erin and Jay has nothing to do with the flames Firehouse 51 fight on a daily basis. AU rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Erin pulls into the firehouse, and Gabby is sitting next to her; babbling. Erin's been listening to her the whole ride to the call and back, but when she gets a glimpse of the new firefighter, she only hears bits, and pieces. She parks the ambulance, and Gabby stops briefly as she walks around the rig. Erin jumps out of the driver's seat, and immediately begins to stare at him; taking in his arms as they bulge from under the short sleeves of his navy blue shirt, and he continues washing the squad truck. She's not sure if it's sweat, or water running down his face, and the stubble along his jaw, before rolling down his neck, but it makes her swallow hard nonetheless, as she gets closer to him.

"Erin did you hear me?" Gabby interrupts; causing the handsome stranger to look over at them. Erin blushes, and averts her eyes as he gives her crooked smile.

"Sorry no." Erin says as she holds the door open for Gabby to walk in to the building. She looks back, and gives him a smirk of her own even though he's not looking at her anymore.

"Louie was so terrified, he was clinging to Matt's leg." Gabby repeats once they're both inside.

"I bet, I hear the first day of school is hard for everyone." Erin replies as they make their way to the kitchen.

"There's your mom Millie." Mouch says as they walk into the kitchen. The fluffy cream puppy that was sitting next to him on the couch seemingly understands his words, and jumps off the couch to run over to her owner.

"That was a quick call." Stella states.

"No it wasn't." Gabby states as Erin picks her puppy up.

"Alright, so did you guys see the new guy?" Stella asks; changing the subject.

"Yeah, _someone_ was staring at him as we were coming in." Gabby replies nudging Erin.

"I was not." Erin denied, as the heat rises in her cheeks.

"Right so you weren't blushing when he looked over at us?" Gabby asks

"Nope." Erin lies, burying her face against her puppy.

"And I suppose you want us to believe that you're not blushing now?" Stella questions

"It's just hot." Erin defends

"Yeah _he_ is really hot." Stella counters.

"Don't let Kelly hear you say that, we all know how jealous he gets." Gabby mumbles at her.

"Ok, I'm going to take Millie outside." Erin states as she turns to walk away.

"Tell Jay we said hi." Gabby yells after her as she, and Stella giggle from behind her.

XXXXXX

Millie plays with the red leash attached her collar, as Erin tries to get her to do her business. She gives up, and just lets the rambunctious puppy entertain herself with her leash. She looks up, and sees Jay rolling up the hose. His arms flexing even more than before with each motion. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, his face flushed from the heat, and his lips parted partially before he licks them, and she subconsciously licks her own lips as she notices his damp shirt clinging to his body. She's been a firehouse paramedic for five years, and she's seen how muscular most firefighters are, but he puts all of them to shame. She continues to stare at him, until she feels the leash slip out of her hand as Millie gives it another tug.

"Millie." She shouts as she chases after her.

"Come here Mill." She tries to say calmly, as she follows her around the truck, she's so frazzled that she doesn't even notice him as she runs around the hood of the truck. She runs right into him; almost crushing Millie between them, as he holds her in his arm, and steadies Erin with the other.

"She sure has a lot of energy doesn't she." Jay notes, as Erin tries to right herself, after feeling like she just ran into a brick wall. She notices the slight southern drawl in his voice, and it sends chills throughout her body even with the sun beating down on them.

"A month ago she could barely crawl, and now it's like she's training for a puppy marathon." Erin jokes

"At least she's cute, I've met a handful of firehouse dogs, but she's by far the cutest. She's a Retriever right?" He states and asks.

"I think so, but I'm not sure we found her in the trash, after one of our calls, when she was like two weeks old." Erin replies, as she watches him hold, and interact with her puppy. She takes the opportunity to look at the features of his face, his cheeks and nose are sprinkled with freckles, and his eyelashes are long, and seem to complement his blue eyes, his pink, freckled lips are naturally puckered, and she licks her suddenly dry lips again.

"I don't understand people sometimes, but she's lucky that you saved her, she seems like a happy puppy. She looks like my old Golden Retriever." He says as he hands the panting puppy over to her, and they give each other a smile.

"Halstead, Jay Halstead." He states formally, and sticks his hand out for her to shake, she cautiously lifts her hand, and meets his. There's a jolt of electricity that they both feel as they hands clasp together briefly.

"Lindsay, Erin Lindsay." She says, and he nods his head.

"It's nice to meet you." He adds.

"You too, so which firehouse did you transfer from?"

"Twelve, I was filling in for a paramedic there." He replies.

"And now you're on squad."

"Yeah, but Boden said I'll be filling in for Gabby when they go on vacation."

"Well I look forward to it." She blurts out, followed by a gasp. Her hand moves quickly to cover her mouth, and her eyes go wide. She feels even more embarrassed as he chuckles lightly. There's a pregnant pause before either of them speak again. Goosebumps erupt over her skin as he leans in, and his warm, minty breath hits her ear as he whispers

"I wasn't before, but now I'll admit I'm looking forward to it too." Before stepping back, and giving her a wink. His shoulder brushes against hers as he walks around her. She nods her head, and pets Millie before going back inside to cool off.

XXXXXX

 **A/N: Special thanks to halsteadpd and queseraone, for everything, but especially for giving me ideas for this fic. There's a lot more in store already. Please review, and I'll try to update soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

He's sitting in one of the chairs surrounding the table inside the garage of the firehouse. His gaze switching between the puppy sleeping in his lap, the cards in his hands, and Erin as she helps Gabby clean the back of the ambulance. His eyes traveling down Erin's body in a way that he figures isn't much different from the way she was looking at him a few weeks back.

"Jay!" Cruz yells from beside him.

"It's your turn." Severide adds.

"Yeah, I uh I'm out." He says placing his cards face down on the table.

"You know you should just go ask her out, 'cause the staring thing is kind of creepy." Cruz states.

"Don't listen to him, you'll just be wasting your time—she doesn't do _in house romances_." Severide all but growls, using air quotes for the end of his statement.

"No, don't listen to him, he's just mad that he couldn't get with her." Cruz says.

"I thought you were dating Kidd?" Jay questions.

"I am." Severide mumbles.

"He is, but before Kidd came here, he had a huge crush on Erin." Cruz adds, and Severide throws his cards down.

"Shut up Cruz." Severide yells.

"You shut up." Cruz yells back.

"Both of you shut the hell up, and let him make the decision for himself." Capp snaps, not wanting to listen to them argue anymore. Jay had already left the table; carrying a still sleeping puppy in his arms. Gabby leaves Erin to finish up, and heads inside, giving Jay a smirk as she passes him.

"So Gabby and Matt go on vacation tomorrow." Jay begins as he walks up to her. She continues to focus on finishing cleaning the rig.

"They are." She agrees, looking up at him briefly.

"So we'll be partners for the next couple weeks." He adds nervously as he scratches the back of his neck. He was all ready to ask her out before the guys confused him, and now he's all flustered, and can't seem to just spit it out.

"Yeah." She says a too excitedly for her liking. "Hey would you mind giving me a hand with something please?" She asks sweetly.

"Sure." He nods.

"I just need to restock some things but there's a few things I can't reach in the closet."

"Ok." He says, as they walk past the squad table, and into the firehouse.

Jay puts Millie down next to Mouch on the couch, and continues to follow Erin to the supply closet.

"So what'd you need?" He asks as they enter the small space.

"I need some rubbing alcohol, and IV bags off the top shelf, please?" She asks, while she begins to grab other things. He tries not to squish her as he reaches over her head to get the supplies she asked for, but when she backs up unexpectedly her back becomes flushed against his front. She freezes as she feels the muscles in his chest, and abdomen flex as he stretches to grab a few IV bags, and he feels her soft curves press up against him. He bites back a moan, as he grabs one last bag. She turns around, and looks up at him just as he brings his arms down. His eyes flit between her eyes and lips, and hers do the same. There's not much space left between them, and they both lean in, their lips simply brushing against each other's before they actually meet. The kiss is unlike anything either of them has experienced before, and the world around them seems to melt away, as they both forget that they're at work. Their lips move against each other slowly before her hand reaches up, twists in his shirt to pull him in closer, and then quickly pushes him away.

"I'm sorry, god I'm so sorry." She almost whimpers, her hand still on his chest. His face contorts in confusion. "They were right, I don't do this." She gestures between them.

"Erin." He balances the supplies in one hand, and gently grabs her wrist with the other. She shakes her head.

"Thank you for grabbing this stuff." She concludes; taking the supplies from him, and attempting to walk away, but he's still gently clutching her wrist.

"I'm sorry, we just can't." She says, and he nods and he lets go of her wrist.

"Fuck." He mumbles under his breath once she's out of sight, before deciding to run after her.

XXXXXX

"Erin!" He yells, as he catches up to her, not even caring that the whole table of their coworkers turn to watch them.

"I told you." Severide boasted, and both Erin and Jay give him a dirty look.

"I'm sorry." He whispers to her as they reach the ambulance.

"Don't be." She replies quietly.

"I don't want things to be weird between-" He starts, but she cuts him off.

"Jay, it's fine, but it's probably best if we just keep things professional." She says looking up at him, her hazel eyes sad.

"Yeah." Jay agrees unconvincingly.

"I'm sorry." She adds, and he shakes his head; eyebrows furrowed, and lips pouting.

"Don't be." He replies, continuing to help her organize the rig before their shift ends.

XXXXXX

Erin walks Millie out of the firehouse on her leash, the puppy weaving and tripping a couple times making Erin giggle.

Jay's leaning against his motorcycle, talking on his phone as she walks to her car.

"Uh yeah, I'll talk to you later Uncle Rick." He takes the phone away from his ear, and puts it in his pocket.

"Erin." He calls after her just before she closes her door.

"Hey umm, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to get something to eat with me." He suggests, and she gives him an almost worried look. Like a _what the fuck did you not get before?_ kind of look. He chuckles.

"Not like a date or anything, I mean I'd like to take you on a date, but I know that's not-I uh." He fumbles, and she giggles which helps calm his nerves a little.

"I was thinking we could maybe just get to know each other." He finishes, and she gives him another questioning look.

"I don't know Jay." She sighs.

"Come on Erin, I swear it's not a date." He says sadly.

"It's not that. Well part of it is that, but I also don't really like to leave Millie." She admits looking over at the puppy on the passenger seat.

"She can come with." He counters with a shrug.

"What'd you have in mind that she can come too?" She asks.

"There's a park just outside of Chicago, that's having an Indian summer food truck festival tonight." He answers, and he sees her eyes light up at the mention of food.

"Come on, she can get some practice on the leash." He adds, and she chuckles at that.

"Alright, lead the way." She sighs, giving in.

XXXXXX

She thought he was hot before, but watching him on a motorcycle, was totally different. The way his back muscles moved and flexed under his shirt as he rode in front of her was an almost dangerous sight—she's surprised she didn't get in an accident on the way to the park. They park right next to each other, and Erin picks Millie up and gets out of her car. He takes his keys out, and his helmet off, and places it on the seat of his bike, before turning towards her, and petting Millie. Erin then sets her down and they walk towards the grass.

"What kind of food would you like?" He asks, after they've walked past a couple of trucks.

"I could go for like a pulled pork type thing." She answers, and he nods.

"A pulled pork type thing?" He repeats, with a smile.

"What? It's a thing." She argues, lightly shoving his shoulder.

"I know, it's just not what I was expecting." He replies with another chuckle.

"What were you expecting me to say?" She questions.

"I don't know, just not that."

"Well since we're here to get to know each other, I'll have you know that I'm not a salad or wrap type of girl. I'll eat them, but I'm not going to come to a food truck festival and get either of those things."

"Good to know." He says with a nod.

"Right here, the Porky Pig." He states, pointing to the pink truck to the side of them. He begins to order his food, and then looks at her to order her own. The guy inside the truck repeats their order to Erin, because Jay gets distracted with Millie.

"Sure." Erin shrugs, and then the guy tells her the total, and Jay pops up, and hands over a twenty.

"I could've paid." She confessed.

"I know, but I'm the one that suggested this." Jay throws back at her.

"Actually I did." She says as they stand off to the side to wait for their food.

"I meant coming here." He replies.

"Oh." She says, as a group of teenagers come, and ask to pet Millie.

"Sure." Erin answers. They get their food quickly, and the teenagers soon move on. They walk along one of the paths of the park, and keep the talking to a minimum until they're done eating.

"What's your favorite color?" Jay asks, and she gives him a confused look.

"Who are you Buddy the Elf?" Erin questions as they throw away their plates in the nearest trash can.

"No, and I don't know who that is, but I figured we could do like a twenty questions thing." Jay answers honestly.

"You've never seen the movie Elf?" Erin asks; appalled.

"Nope. Now you answer my question." He states.

"I like red, or maroon."

"What's your favorite candy?" Jay asks next.

"I don't really like candy much."

"Oh come on, you didn't have a favorite candy growing up?" Jay nags

"That counts as your third question, and no, I didn't really have candy growing up." She replies. Jay notices the sad expression on her face.

She faked a smile as asked her question.

"What's your dream car?"

"Ford Bronco, preferably a 1973 drop top." He answers and she nods.

XXXXXX

"So how long have you been in Chicago?" Erin asks as they get close to where they started. They lost track of how many questions they've asked each other, but neither of them care.

"What makes you think I didn't grow up here?" He questions, and Erin would have thought that he was offended if it weren't for the smile on his face.

"I'm kidding, I've been here since I was sixteen I think? When we first moved here, everyone would ask where I moved from, or say that my accent was weird. I've always thought you're the ones with the weird accents."

"I like your accent." Erin confesses.

"Thanks, I like yours too." He responds, giving her a smirk, as she bashfully tucks some of her hair behind her ear.

"Ok one last question before we leave." Jay states, as they come to stand in front of her Jeep.

"Ok." She agrees nervously.

"What's with your no in house romance rule?" He asks, and she looks down at Millie who practically collapses on the ground. His hand comes up to gently cup her jaw, tilting her head so she's looking at him. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, but she can't get the words out. She's not sure what to say, because after tonight she wishes she didn't stop their kiss earlier. And she hopes to make up for it by standing on the tips of her toes, and attaching her lips to his. He seems shocked at first, but then his lips move along with hers, and it's like they're right back in the supply closet.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey." He greets just before she closes her locker.

"Hey." She repeats, groggily.

"Wait, what's wrong?" He asks, after she gives him a fake smile, as she walks past him.

"Nothing." She answers unconvincingly.

"Erin, come on we've been on a date, I practically know you." He jokes, hoping to get her to smile.

"Shhhh." She says quietly.

"What? No one's in here Erin." He states as he looks around the room.

"I know, I just don't want anyone to know, plus you said it wasn't a date." She whispers

"I did, but then someone decided to kiss me, and I figured that meant it was a date." He replies, and she gives him a smirk. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, my coffee machine broke this morning, and I didn't have time to stop, and get some on my way in 'cause Millie got sick and puked all over my front seat, so I wanted to get her out of the car, and clean it. So I'm just more frustrated than anything." She explains.

"Come here." He pulls her towards the back corner of the room, near third shift's lockers, and looks around the room once more before looking at her. He moves to capture in a hungry, yet gentle kiss, that almost has her forgetting about her horrible morning. They pull apart, desperate for air.

"What was that for?" She asks, a smile creeping on to her face.

"I just wanted to kiss you, and hopefully cheer you up." He answers shyly. "Sorry." He says after a few moments and this time it's Erin who leans in to attach their lips.

"Don't be." She whispers to him, with a wink and one last peck before walking off.

XXXXXX

A message echoing loudly through the firehouse, calling for Ambulance 61, has her slamming the rest of her coffee before she heads out to the garage. Jay's already sitting in the driver's seat when she gets there, and she simply shakes her head.

"Come on, we got a call."

"I know, but I always drive."

"Not today." He says, and she rolls her eyes, and runs over to the passenger side.

He pulls out of the garage quickly, and begins the drive to the address given to them. When they get there, he hits the curb when he parks.

"I'm driving from now on." She jokes.

"That's what you think."

"I'm serious Jay."

"Mhm." He hums as they walk up to the door. An elderly woman opens the door, sobbing.

"Ma'am, are you ok?" Jay asks.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. This way." She answers, exasperated. They follow her to the living room where a man probably around their age is holding a bloody towel up to his forehead.

"This is my grandson Ryan; he was just cleaning out the gutters for me, and came back inside with blood dripping down his face."

"Grams I'm fine."

"Bullshit you're fine." She snaps back.

"Ok Ryan, we're going to have to look at your head." Erin says, squatting in front of him and peeling the towel away slowly. There's a nice gash in his forehead slanting down from his hairline to his right eyebrow. "Ok we're going to dress it here but we'll have to take you to the hospital."

"You can't just stitch it here?" Ryan asks.

"No, we can't." Jay answers, causing the other guy in the room to sigh. Erin and Jay take Ryan out to the ambulance, his grandma following closely behind.

"I can't drive anymore, otherwise I would have taken him to the hospital myself. I probably would have gotten both of us killed." Ryan's grandma rambles nervously to Jay as he tends to Ryan's cut.

"Are you single?" Ryan's grandma asks Jay.

Jay looks up and meets Erin's eyes as she looks in the rear view. She smiles and shrugs.

"I don't know." He answers

"You're very handsome, my granddaughter would be perfect for you." She says next, and Jay hears Erin chuckle from the front just as she parks the ambo outside of the hospital. They all exit the vehicle and a couple of nurses immediately take Ryan to a room, his grandma thanking Erin and Jay before following.

Erin's just signing the last form, at the ER desk, as he walks over to her. She slides the paper towards Maggie behind the desk, before she and Jay both turn to leave. Just as they're about to walk out the sliding doors, a middle aged woman comes strutting towards them, a scarf on her head; her blue eyes holding a certain coldness in them. As she gets closer, Jay sees a slight resemblance between the woman and Erin.

"Erin, so glad to see you." The woman coughs out, as she stares at Erin.

"I just saw you a few hours ago Bunny." Erin replies.

"You said you were going to come with me to my last chemo appointment." Bunny states.

"No, I told you I couldn't, because I have to work." Erin answers.

"What, so your work is more important than your dying mother?" Bunny questions, as Jay looks around trying to exclude himself from the exchange.

"I don't have time for this, I'll see you tomorrow." Erin mutters, as she attempts to walk away.

"You're unbelievably selfish and worthless. you know that? One of my biggest regrets." She says, and Jay huffs, before looking over at his partner. "You got something to say pretty boy?" She hisses at him, getting his attention back on her.

"Well I'd like to say that it doesn't seem you know her at all, because even with just meeting her I know she-" He begins.

"Jay, stop, please." Erin pleads, cutting him off.

"This is so like you to have someone else defend you." The older woman grumbles.

"Whatever Bunny, I'll see you tomorrow." Erin murmurs before pulling Jay out of the ED to the ambulance.

"Here." Erin mumbles, as she quickly throws him the keys

"I thought you always drive?" He asks after they're both seated.

"Yeah." She replies as she buckles her seatbelt. He doesn't push or prod, he figures he hasn't earned that right yet, but he does want to know. He glances her way at every stop light. She's looking down, her hands fiddling with a string hanging off of her shirt. The frown lines on her forehead make him want to pull over to the side of the road and pull her into him, but he knows he doesn't have the right to that yet either. He contemplates staying quiet, but he also feels the need to say something, but she beats him to it.

"Today was her last day of chemo. Not that you care, I just thought maybe I should explain." She says, her voice void of any emotion. He waits for a minute to see if she'll add anything, but she doesn't.

"I do care actually, and you know you don't deserve to be talked to or treated like that, regardless of who the person is. I understand she's sick, but that doesn't give her the right to take it out on you." He declares.

"She's always talked to me, like that, even before she was sick. I'm used to it, and now with everything she's going through, I've felt the fight leave me." She admits. "Plus she's my mom."

"I know. She seems lovely." He says sarcastically, and Erin lets out a sad chuckle that comes out as more a huff.

"I'd explain, but it's kind of a long story."

"I've got time." He shoots back.

"Not now." She protests.

"Fine, how about tomorrow night then?" He blurts out, not even really thinking about it and when she doesn't say anything for a while he figures she doesn't want to. But as they're pulling onto the street of the firehouse, she leans over and kisses his cheek.

"What time tomorrow?"

"How does seven sound?"

"Sounds perfect." She replies, just as they pull into the garage. They offer each other a brief smile before hopping out of the ambulance, starting their own tasks, before another call comes in.


	4. Chapter 4

He stands outside her door, and looks down at his watch before, he lifts his hand to knock. It takes a minute before the door opens. He smiles before he sees that the woman who opened door isn't the woman he's been looking forward to seeing since leaving work yesterday.

"Pretty boy." Bunny mutters.

"Bunny, was it?" Jay acknowledges, with a nod. She nods in return, taking him in while he looks past her to look for Erin. He lets out a sigh of relief when he hears the sound of heels clicking against the floor, and he almost gasps when she rounds the corner, putting an earring in. Her lips are painted red, and her hair is down, framing her face in perfect waves. She's wearing a tight black dress, that falls just above her knees. Even with the added few inches, the black heels she's wearing make him notice their height difference, as he still has another few inches on her.

Her eyes travel his body—and outfit—in the same way; feeling the urge to lick her lips at the fact that he didn't shave, and loving the way the black shirt and grey cardigan outline each muscle deliciously. His dark wash jeans and black suede shoes complete the look that is a little more than casual. He's also wearing a pair of glasses, the top of the frames are black, and the bottom is rounded metal. He looks sophisticated, and somehow even more handsome than usual.

"You look slutty, I hate that fucking dress." Bunny interrupts, earning a cold stare from Jay, while Erin simply ignores her.

"I think you look amazing." Jay counters.

"Thanks." Erin says bashfully.

"You _look_ like you're desperate for sex." Bunny says back, and Jay gives her another stern look.

"What is your problem?" He questions.

"She's already gone 24 hours at a time, and then you come, and take her out on a date, it's not like whatever you two have is going to last, so in my opinion you're wasting all of our time. Plus I don't like you."

"Bunny that's enough" Erin shouts.

"The feeling is mutual." Jay mumbles under his breath, and Erin shoots him a pleading look, that's also a little angry.

"It's true. You know, I always wondered how you got through college, but now it makes sense. How much did you pay her?" Bunny snaps, getting her daughter's attention back on her, Jay's about to put the disturbed woman in her place when he feels Erin's hands on his chest.

"Let's go." Erin pushes him out the door.

"I'm sor-" She begins as they walk down the stairs just outside her place.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." He says turning towards her, pulling her near the edge of the step she's standing on. "You don't need to apologize for her, or explain anything to me."

"I'd understand if you don't want to go now." She says sadly.

He answers by pulling her into him, giving her a gentle kiss.

"You ready?" He whispers against her lips, and she nods, as they continue towards his truck. He opens her door and closes it after she sits down, before rounding the front of his truck to hop in.

XXXXXX

He's curious—she can tell that the wheels are turning in his head, but he doesn't mention anything about what happened at the apartment. They just make small talk during their dinner. If or when she was going to tell him about her past, it definitely wasn't going to be in a public setting. They talked until the restaurant was about to close and their check was brought to their table. Jay places money in the black check holder as he stands. She pushes her chair back and stands as well, before they exit the dimly lit restaurant. As he drives her home, he notices her facial expression become sad the nearer they get to her apartment, but he's not sure what to say that won't give her the wrong impression.

"Do you think maybe we could get a drink or something before I go home? I'll buy." She suggests, and he nods; continuing instead of turning on her street. "Thank you."

"Some buddies of mine own this place." He says as he parks in front of a small pub nearby, and she nods. He gets out first, coming around to take her hand as she steps onto the sidewalk. They walk in hand in hand, and Jay leads her to the bar. She feels as if all eyes are on them, and it makes her self conscious. She hides behind Jay a little, not letting go of his hand.

"Hey Mouse." Jay says to the short brunette guy cleaning glasses behind the bar.

"Hey, it's been a while."

"Yeah, we were in the neighborhood." Jay says with a shrug.

"We?" Mouse questions. Erin isn't really paying attention to their conversation, instead observing her surroundings. Jay pulls her to stand next to him.

"This is Erin, Erin this is Mouse. We were roommates back in college."

"Nice to meet you." Erin smiles.

"You too."

"Is it just you tonight?" Jay asks Mouse.

"No Adam is around here somewhere, he's got his new girlfriend Kim with him."

"Oh." Jay says, just as Erin's friend Kim comes out of the back room.

"Kim!" Erin all but shouts.

"Erin!" Kim says with just as much excitement in her voice. Mouse and Jay just stand back, and continue to talk to each other.

"What are you doing here?" Kim asks.

"Uh I wasn't ready for our date to end." Looking back at Jay he looks up at one of the TV's hung high on the wall.

"My god, he's hot."

"Right, but he's also super sweet, and fun."

"How'd you meet?"

"He transferred to Firehouse 51 a few weeks ago."

"And how many dates have you been on?"

"Two."

"Ooh girl you got it bad."

"What are you talking about?"

"You look like the fucking heart eye emoji."

"I do not." Erin defends, and Kim is about to say something back when a young guy comes up behind her, and wraps his arms around her so she looks back at him.

"Hey darlin, making friends?"

"Actually Erin and I have been friends since high school."

"Well hello Erin I'm Adam, Kim's-" He starts but doesn't finish, not sure what to say.

"He's my boyfriend." Kim finishes for him. Adam kisses her cheek, and walks over to the bar where Jay is sipping what appears to be soda.

"What's up man?" Adam says once he's standing in front of his old friend.

"Nothing just brought my date by for a drink."

"Too bad you're on a date, my girl's talking to this really pretty brunette over there." Adam nods over in the direction of Kim and Erin, and Jay chuckles.

"Yeah she is beautiful, I'm still not sure how I got her to go on a second date with me."

"Yeah. Wait, what?"

"That's my date" Jay chuckles again.

"I'm not sure how you landed that one either." Adam jokes. "Especially dressed like that."

"Says the guy that only wears tank tops or flannels." Jay shoots back, causing both of them to laugh.

XXXXXX

"It was good seeing you man." Mouse says as they walk out of the bar. Adam is practically carrying Kim to his car.

"Yeah you guys too." Jay says.

"It was nice meeting you Mouse." Erin adds.

"You too Erin, make sure he brings you back sometime." Mouse smiles.

"Ok." She nods, as Jay opens her door.

"What do you say we get you home now?" Jay suggests as he turns the keys in the ignition.

"Sure." She says sadly.

"Is there somewhere else you'd like to go?" He asks, and she takes a minute before she shakes her head. He keeps the truck in park, as he leans over and cups her jaw to turn her head. "You want to go back to my place for drinks?"

She looks worried, and he instantly feels the need to correct whatever thought is going through her head.

"It was just a suggestion Erin, if you're not comfortable-" She cuts him off with a kiss.

"I don't think I need more drinks, but maybe we could talk."

"Ok." He says, giving her another peck.

XXXXXX

He unlocks the door, and pushes it open for her to go in. She inhales deeply, the musky scent of his cologne and aftershave wafting her nostrils. His place is a total bachelor pad, the walls painted a dark grey, a red and white motorcycle painting hung directly across from a large flat screen TV.

"You sure you don't want something to drink?" He asks as he walks towards the kitchen.

"What do you have?" She questions.

"Beer or Whiskey."

"I'll take a beer please." He nods, and grabs two brown bottles from the fridge. He hands her one as she looks at a picture of Adam, Jay and Mouse.

"So you know both Adam and Mouse from college?"

"Yeah, Mouse was my roommate our freshmen year, and Adam was the party guy in our dorm hall." He answers.

She nods. "I could see that."

"What about you and Kim? How long have you known each other?"

"We've been friends since high school."

"Where'd you go to high school?"

"Uhhh." She starts as she sits on the couch next to him. She picks at the label on her bottle, as she thinks about if she should just tell him. "I went to five different high schools actually, thanks to Bunny and her boyfriends." She answers, still avoiding his gaze for another minute before looking at him. He's looking down, and she can tell he's trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry that wasn't what you asked." She adds, and he looks up at her.

"It's ok." He assures, and there's a pregnant pause before she continues.

"I met Kim my junior year, while I was at Clark. I was only there for six months before Bunny tried to transfer me again." She physically shakes, and he scoots over to place his hand on her knee. "But I was done being the new kid, I was on the volleyball team, and was finally making friends, but Bunny wasn't having it. She had a new boyfriend who lived across town, and neither of them wanted to take me to school every day, or let me use the car. She had him try to scare me into leaving; had him come to the school, and announced that my mom was an addict, and my dad was in jail. The whole team stopped talking to me—except for Kim, she didn't judge me."

"Sounds like a good friend."

"She's the best friend I've ever had." She says sincerely, before taking a swig of her beer. "So what about you? What are your parents like?"

"Well my dad, and Bunny seem like they would have been two peas in a pod. He used to beat the shit out of my brother and me. And he'd tell us that if we told our mom, that he'd do much worse to her, so we'd both kept quiet. But eventually she found out, and he got put away, and died not to long after. My mom felt like she failed us, and tried to give us everything she could think of—she still tries spoiling my brother and me, especially when it comes to food. Her chicken noodle soup, and caramel apple pies are the best." He says.

They go on to talk about their pasts, neither judging the other. The look of admiration not only stays in their eyes, but seems to intensify as the alcohol allows them to spill their deepest, darkest secrets to each other. At some point when the conversation slows, Jay turns the TV on, and she scoots closer to him; laying her head on his shoulder, soon falling asleep. He waits for her breathing to even out before carrying her to his bed. He takes her heels off, and places them neatly near the nightstand before covering her up with the comforter. He then grabs a pair of sweatpants, and takes off his jeans to throw in the hamper. Once he gets his sweatpants on, he goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth, then goes back out to the living room, grabbing a blanket and pillow from the hall closet on the way. He turns off the lights and lies down on the couch, quickly falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

She wakes up with a pounding headache, keeping her eyes closed as she turns a little in the bed. She remembers their night and smiles at the memory of him looking at her exactly the same as he did before knowing her past. What she doesn't remember is how she got home. That thought has her sitting up too quickly.

Her eyes scan her surroundings, and she realizes she's in his room. Her hands frantically search her body, and she looks down, letting out a content sigh as she moves her legs and doesn't feel any soreness. She looks over at the alarm clock on the nightstand as she stands to go to the bathroom. After she washes her hands she looks in the medicine cabinet for some aspirin. She starts at the bottom shelf, and her eyes sweep up until she's sees the top of a bottle hidden behind a box of XXL condoms. Her eyes go wide as she picks up the box, her mouth becoming dry as she feels a familiar dull ache in her lower stomach, and heat rising up her neck.

"Looking for something?" He takes her by surprise, and she spins around with the box in her hand, holding it against her chest as if he won't see it.

"I uh I was just looking for some aspirin." She answers, her cheeks burning red as he walks up to her.

"Well I promise there isn't any in _that_ box." He smirks as he kisses her temple and reaches over her to grab a bottle off the top shelf. She replaces the box back in the cabinet when he takes a step back.

"So last night was nice." She says as they walk out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, it was." He agrees. When they get to the kitchen Jay hands her a stainless steel mug with coffee in it.

"I wasn't sure how you took your coffee, so I brought back everything."

"Thank you." She says looking at all of the different creams and sugars he brought from the coffee shop.

"No thanks necessary, I saw how you were with no coffee." He hands her a spoon, and she chuckles.

"Sorry about that, it was just a combination of things, the coffee, and Mil-….Shit!" She stops mixing the coffee, and cream, and heads back to his room to grab her heels.

"What happened?" Jay shouts.

"I forgot that Stella was watching Millie at her place, and I told her I would pick her up at eleven." She explains as she walks past him.

"Ok, it's only quarter after ten." He grabs her arm.

"But I still have to go home and change."

"Ok, I'll take you home. Finish your coffee, and I'll get my shoes on."

"You don't-" He silences her with a gentle kiss.

"Have to? Yeah I know, but I want to." He exclaims before going to get his tennis shoes on.

He drives her home, and she finishes her coffee along the way.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He says as they pull up to her place.

"I was actually wondering if you weren't busy tonight, maybe you'd want to go out again?"

"I think I can clear my schedule." He smirks "What'd you have in mind?"

"I'm not telling you." She says, and he raises his eyebrow at her. She leans over, and pecks his lips a few times before opening the door.

"What time should I pick you up?"

"I don't know, I'll text you."

"I don't have your number." He whispers.

"Let me see your phone." She somewhat demands, and he hands it over. She enters in her number, and calls her phone.

"There now you have my number, but how about six?"

"Sounds perfect, I will be here." He gives her another kiss before she gets out.

"Wait, can I bring Millie to your place? I don't really trust Bunny with her."

"Yeah of course, she can stay in my room while we're gone."

"I'll bring her crate, she's still chewing on everything." She chuckles, and he nods.

"Ok." He says, and she nods in thanks and closes the door.

XXXXXX

He just gets his Henley over his head, and rubs on some cologne when his phone rings. He looks at the clock, as he walks to his bed to grab his phone. He smiles as he flips the phone over, but it's not who he was expecting. He answers it, and he hears his mom yelling on the other end.

"Mom?" He answers.

"Hey honey, so my sink's been acting funny. I wasn't going to bug you, but now water is spraying everywhere." She spews rather panicked.

"Alright mom, I'll be right there." Jay says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Thank you honey." She says just before hanging up. He looks at the clock that reads quarter to six, and he huffs. He presses on her number, and brings the phone back up to his ear.

"Hey, we're just about to-" She begins.

"Hey uh, I was wondering if I can get a rain check on tonight? My mom just called, and she sounds pretty panicked."

"Uhh yeah, that's ok." She says as she unclips Millie leash. "I get it, we'll do it another night."

"Yeah, thanks for understanding. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, goodnight."

"Goodnight Erin." He says back, and then they hang up. He feels bad, but he has to help his mom. He changes shirts, before grabbing his keys and leaving.

XXXXXX

She puts Millie's crate back up in her room, and changes into her pajamas before she hears her phone ding.

 _J- I'm really sorry about tonight!_ She smiles down at her phone, just as she hears Bunny yell.

"God damn it dog!"

The next thing she hears is a little yelp, and Erin's blood heats up instantly, even more so when Millie comes scampering over to her, her tail tucked between her legs, and her head hanging low. Erin picks her up, and looks her over.

"What the hell did you just do to her?" Erin snaps.

"I just gave her a little pat for blowing the ashes out of the ashtray." Bunny mumbles.

"Bullshit you gave her a little pat, she wouldn't have yelped if it was a little pat, and I don't give a shit what she was doing, she's a puppy, and even if she wasn't, you still have no right to hit her, or kick or hurt her in any way! The only reason you are here is because you're sick, but if you ever lay a hand on my dog again, I can promise you that I'll put you right back out on the streets." Erin scolds.

"So you'd choose the dog over me?"

"In a fucking heartbeat." Erin says as she walks back to her room. She takes Millie into the bathroom, to wipe the grey ashes off her snout.

"We'll just hang out in here for the night Mill." Erin carries her to the bed, and turns the TV on, as she lies down. Millie curls up on one of the many pillows on her owns bed, and Erin grabs her phone to take a picture of her. She sees the message notification on her lock screen, but chooses to put her thumb on the lower right corner, and swipe up. She snaps a picture of Millie, before pressing the home button.

 _J-I swear I could swim in my mom's kitchen right now_

With the message was a picture of a fairly flooded kitchen.

 _E-Looks a little too shallow_

 _J-I guess, but Millie probably would've had fun in it._

Erin smiles, and looks over at her puppy. She attaches the picture she just took in a message, and types her response.

 _E-Millie is currently passed out_

 _E-But no doubt if she was there she would been playing in it; finding a way to make an even bigger mess_

On the other side of town, Jay just finishes sucking up all the water with the Shop Vac, not hearing his phone as he does. He turns the vacuum off, removing the top, and going to dump the water a few times before he's done. His mom picks up his phone, not even noticing that it's not hers until she reads who the messages on the lock screen are from. Jay walks back, and looks at her confused.

"Sorry, I thought it was mine." She confessed, as she handed him his phone. He looks at the screen, and opens the messages. Smiling at the she picture sent an hour ago.

"Who's Erin?"

"A co-worker."

"Mhm and do you text all of your co-workers? And smile like that at all of their messages?" He blushes at his mom's questions.

"No."

"That's what I thought." She goes to grab a few towels and her own phone. "So what's she like? Have you taken her on a date yet?" She begins to ramble when she walks into the kitchen.

"Woah mom."

"Sorry, I'm just excited for you sweetheart, you haven't dated since you broke up with Allie." She replies calmly.

"Thanks, and I know." It was true, he hadn't truly dated since college. He'd had a few one night stands, but he wasn't going to tell his mom about that.

"We've been on two dates. She's smart and fun and caring and absolutely gorgeous." He says cheekily.

"Were you guys supposed to have another date tonight?"

"Yeah." He runs his hand down his face. "I mean no." He corrects himself when he sees his mom's face drop.

"I figured something was up, seeing you all cleaned up. Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because you're my mom, and you sounded panicked. And I'm always cleaned up.."

"You know what I mean, and I _was_ panicked, but I could have called someone else."

"Like who?"

"I don't know, but I didn't intend on ruining your night."

"It's fine mom, I'm glad it's fixed, and this way you didn't have to call a plumber, and pay way too much money to get it fixed."

"Well thank you, now go try to salvage what's left of your night. Go get her, take her out for ice cream or something."

"Thanks but I think I'll probably just go home, I've got a shift tomorrow."

"Alright well goodnight dear, love you."

"Goodnight mom, love ya too." He says as he grabs his keys, and heads out to his truck. He replies to Erin's message before starting the car.

 _J-Hey if you're not already sleeping, would you want to go get ice cream or something quick? Millie can even come._

 _E-It's 8 Jay, I don't think I've gone to sleep at 8 since I was a toddler_

He chuckles at that, and quickly types a reply.

 _J-*laughing emoji* Is that a yes or no?_

 _E- Yeah, ice cream sounds good_

 _J-I'll be there in ten minutes_

 _E-Ok._ She sends back, as he puts his truck in reverse, and drives to her place.

XXXXXX

A half hour later they're sitting at small table outside the ice cream shop. They tell each other about their nights; letting their ice cream somewhat melt before focusing on eating their cones. Millie sits at their feet for while, before scratching at Erin's leg. Erin picks her up, and the puppy immediately tries to eat her ice cream. Jay laughs, and pulls his phone out, to take a picture just as it happens again. He lets out a chuckle when he looks at how cute it is—Erin's looking at Millie, and Millie is looking at the ice cream cone, the light from inside casting a warm glow over them.

"She really wants your ice cream." He comments after he puts his phone down, and she nods as she places the puppy back on the ground. She looks over at him, and giggles.

"What?" He asks confused.

"How do you have so much ice cream on your face?" She shakes her head, her dimples on full display as she smiles at him. He grabs at napkin but only gets the smudge on his nose.

"Did I get it?"

"Only one spot." She answers as she leans over and grabs a napkin to help him. She wipes the spot off his cheek, before leaning in to kiss the smudge off the corner of his lips, and the strangled moan that escapes his throat has her capturing his lips in a real kiss.

"There." She says as she sits back down, realizing she really doesn't want to give anyone a show. They take their time walking back to the car, and once he drives her home, they prolong their late night date by continuing their make out session until the lack of air causes them to break apart.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She whispers breathlessly against his lips.

He nods before going in for another kiss.

"Goodnight." He says just as Millie yawns. He pets her head gently before Erin opens the door, waking her up.

"Goodnight." Erin repeats back as she gets out of the car.


	6. Chapter 6

"So today's our last shift together." Jay says as they're cleaning out the back of the ambulance. It's hard for either of them to believe that it's only been two weeks—it feels like they already know each other so well.

"Yeah." She interrupts both of their thoughts.

"You know we still haven't rescheduled our date from the other night." He adds, and she nods.

"You still want to go?" She questions.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" He looks at her, confused. The bell rings, signaling a call and ending their conversation.

XXXXXX

When they arrive on the scene, police are shoving a man into the back of a squad car.

"Erin, the victim is upstairs, second bedroom on the right. We cleared all the rooms, so you're good." Kim informs her, while Jay goes back to the ambulance to grab the back board. Then they go in, and go straight to the victim, but they're too late.

"I thought he was going to be ok, he was just talking to me a second ago." Kim's partner Kevin explains.

"With this amount of blood, it looks like the bullet might have hit an artery, you did good man." Jay affirms, as Erin lays her radio down on the ground to check the guy's pulse.

"Did they get both shooters?" Kevin asks.

"Kim said there was only one shooter." Erin says.

"That's not what home boy here said, and they've had this place surrounded, so the second shooter couldn't have left."

"So he's still in the house." Jay adds, as Erin covers the body with a sheet. Jay steers her out of the room gently, and all three of them leave the house.

"I forgot my radio." Erin mutters as they get outside.

"The police can get it." Jay scolds.

"I'll be right back." Erin protests.

"Erin no." Jay yells from behind her.

Erin heads in on her own, and as she walks past the first room upstairs, a guy with a gun steps out of the hallway closet. His back is to the stairs so he doesn't see Jay come up behind him. Jay eyes meet hers briefly, and he sees the fear in them, but he silently tells her to duck. It's quick: he stealthily moves right behind the gunman, pushing the gun up while elbowing him in the head. The gun fires once before the guy drops it, and Erin moves quickly to push the heavy metal handgun out of reach, just as the uniformed officer comes up the stairs and cuffs the guy that Jay has pinned to the wall.

XXXXXX

"That was a close one." She begins as they're leaving the hospital.

"It shouldn't have even happened."

"What?"

"Maybe if you hadn't gone in by yourself, or at all like I said, it wouldn't have happened."

"You're joking right?" She asks with an angry chuckle.

"What would you have done if I hadn't come up the stairs when I did?"

"There were a dozen cops right outside Jay."

"And most of them didn't even know you went back in."

"Oh my goodness you're right, what would I have done without you?" She retorts sarcastically, only adding to the tension between them.

"I'm not saying that Erin."

"Then what are you saying Jay?"

"What you did was reckless."

"Well recklessness comes with our job."

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't have walked off without me!"

"Well get used to it, 'cause next shift, I'll be going in a lot without you." Erin concludes, before hopping out of the driver's seat. He sits there in the passenger seat and scolds himself for yelling at her. He just met her, but he's already terrified of losing her. His heart stopped and raced simultaneously as he followed her into that house—he thinks his anger bubbled from that, but he knows it still wasn't right. He knows she was scared; he won't forget that look in her eyes anytime soon.

He gets out of the ambulance when he hears her open and close the back doors.

"Erin." He calls after her, but when she doesn't acknowledge him he decides to leave her alone for now.

XXXXXX

They don't talk to each other at all for the rest of the shift unless it's to do with work. But when everyone decides to go to sleep, he pulls her into the supply closet as she's walking by.

"Jay, please just leave me alone." She pleads.

"No, not until you hear me out." He demands, and she shrugs his hand off her arm before walking towards the door. She places her hand on handle, and closes it. She sighs, and he realizes he should talk before she changes her mind.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I realize having a gun pointed at you wasn't the highlight of your day, but seeing you in that position wasn't exactly fun for me. I know it's still early, but I already care about you, and that moment made me realize just how much." He admits as he walks towards her. She's the one that leans up to kiss him.

"I don't want to lose you before I've even really had you."

"I'm sorry too." She adds, and then he captures her lips in a hungry kiss. Her hands pull his shirt from his pants and work on his belt.

"Wait." He whispers breathlessly. "Wait." But her hands only slow; never really stopping.

"I want this, trust me I do." He groans as her hand brushes against him as she unzips his pants.

She peppers kisses along his jaw. "Then what's the problem?" She asks as he gently pushes her hands away.

"I just don't want this to happen for the first time in the supply closet at work." He whispers, and they both chuckle.

"I suppose you're right." She concedes, giving him one more kiss before letting him straighten himself out while she sneaks out.

XXXXXX

He takes a cold shower before going to lie down. He looks at his phone as his body plops down on the mattress.

 _E-You still up for that date?_

He looks over at her lying in her bed, her face illuminated by her phone screen as she seems to scroll through something.

 _J-Oh definitely_

He sends back, before looking over at her again, just in time to see her smile.

 _E-Seven?_

 _J-I'll be there_

And this time she looks over at him. They smile at each other, and he winks at her before she turns to lay her phone down, and go to sleep, and he does the same.


	7. Chapter 7

For the last hour he's been reduced to a horny teenager. Her outfit is simple—a flannel, a tank top, and skin tight jeans—but paired with the image of her throwing an axe at the wooden target in front of them, he can feel his pants tightening.

"Son of a bitch." He jokes as she gets another bullseye.

"I win." She teases, giving him a kiss.

"Sorry, I don't have a prize." He replies.

"Mmm I think we can work something out." She says, raising her eyebrow and pressing her body so close to his that he emits a moan and has to pull his lower half away.

"We should get out of here." He growls against her neck.

"Mhm." She hums, throwing money on the bar, as he guides her out the door.

XXXXXX

He opens the door for her, and she walks straight to the spare bedroom to let Millie out. She walks her to the private patio and sets her down. He comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her stomach, kissing the back of her neck as the puppy wanders around looking for the perfect spot to go potty. Once Millie's done she runs back to Erin, looking for her treat. She whines until her owner notices her and bends down give her a biscuit.

"Come on Millie." She says sweetly as she walks back towards the spare bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Jay asks as she opens the crate door.

"Putting her in the crate."

"Let her run around. There's nothing for her to chew on, and nothing's plugged in so she won't get hurt." He kisses her cheek, before going to the kitchen to get them beers.

She closes the door to the spare bedroom and walks to the kitchen. She jumps up to sit on the counter, but she's too short.

He chuckles, putting the beer bottles down to lift her up, as her hands go to his arms. She kisses his neck when he turns his head to grab the bottles again, handing her the open one first, before popping the top off of his own.

He takes a swig as her fingers lightly tease the skin just below his earlobe. He sets both of their bottles down once more, before pulling her towards the edge of the counter; her fingers weave through the hair at the back of his head, pulling his head forward to kiss him, while he starts to unbutton her flannel. After the last buttons come undone, he pushes it off her shoulders. She tugs at his Henley, and he chucks it behind him, and she admires the black ink of the tattoo etched into the creamy skin of his peck and bicep. It's a lion engulfed in flames, and she makes note to ask him about it later, but for now she just places a kiss right above his nipple, before he's pulling her off the counter, his hands cupping the backs of her thighs as he carries her to his bedroom.

He lays her downband peels her tank top and jeans off so she's laid out beneath him in just her underwear. His breath quickens as his eyes travel over her newly exposed skin. He stands and goes to the bathroom to grab the condoms, giving her time to adjust so she's in the center of the bed.

Her chest is heaving as he comes back out. She sees his eyes dark with lust, and she bites her lip as her core throbs. She sits up and rids him of his jeans, gulping as she sees the large bulge under the cotton material of his boxers. She kisses the trail of hair on his stomach that disappears beneath the elastic waistband, slowly pulling down his boxers, kissing and nipping at the v of his hips.

He groans and throws his head back as his eyes clench shut. She continues to pull down the red material until the dark thatch of hair becomes revealed, and then his member is freed. She places a kiss to his tip, and it seems to be too much for him as he gently pushes her back, and straddles her hips. He nudges one of the navy blue lace cups covering breasts to the side, and gently nips at her smooth, creamy skin.

Her hand comes up to unclip the clasp nestled in the valley of her chest, and he dives in, alternating between nipping and sucking her soft mounds. She lets out a desperate groan not much different from the one he let out moments ago. She blindly reaches for the box beside them, while he hooks a finger in the side of her dark blue thong and pulls it down enough for her to kick it away. She rips the black package open with her teeth and throws the foil on the floor before rolling the condom down his shaft. He buries his face in the crook of her neck when she pumps her hand up and down his length.

"Enough." He whimpers against her skin. His hand taps the inside of her thigh, and her legs fall open, seconds before he enters her. He keeps his hips still; the room is silent as they stare into each other's eyes. She lifts her head to kiss him, and it seems to be the invitation he needs to start thrusting into her slowly. The squeaking of the bed springs, the sound of the headboard hitting the wall, and their labored breaths all drown out the continuous ringing of her phone in the living room.

XXXXXX

A couple hours later, he unravels his arm from around her naked, sleeping form, and goes to let Millie out. He takes her outside and hears a ding that he knows didn't come from his phone. He notices her phone still lit up on the coffee table, so he looks to see if it's a text or an email, if it's something worth waking her up for. When he sees the amount of texts and missed calls, he knows it's something serious. He grabs the puppy from outside, putting her in her crate before going to his room. Erin's still sleeping in the same position, one arm tucked beneath a pillow, and the other draped over her sheet-covered stomach.

"Erin." He whispers as he approaches the bed. "Erin." He shakes her shoulder, and her face scrunches before her eyes flutter open.

"Come back to bed." She mumbles as he kneels in front of her.

"I was letting Millie out. Your phone buzzed, I think something happened." He explains, handing her the phone in his hand. She sits up, not even bothering to keep herself covered as she unlocks her phone, and calls Chief Boden back.

"Boden? What's going on?" She says into the phone. She gasps after a few moments, scrambling out of the bed to grab her clothes. "Ok, I'm on my way now." She exclaims before hanging up.

"What's going on?" Jay asks, putting on a shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"It's Bunny." She says, exasperated.


	8. Chapter 8

" _Boden? What's going on?" She says into the phone. She gasps after a few moments, scrambling out of the bed to grab her clothes._

" _Ok, I'm on my way now." She exclaims before hanging up._

" _What's going on?" Jay asks, putting on a shirt, and a pair of sweatpants._

" _It's Bunny." She says, exasperated._

XXXXXX

"What?" He questions, confused.

"It's Bunny, she set my apartment on fire, and then overdosed in the bathroom." She mumbles, and he pulls her to him briefly.

"Can you give me a ride please?"

"Yeah, of course." He grabs his keys as she finishes getting dressed.

XXXXXX

They leave Millie at Jay's and quickly drive to Erin's apartment. The street is still wet, and the stairs leading up to her place have yellow caution tape attached to them. She jumps out of the truck before Jay even puts it in park. He hurriedly pulls the keys from the ignition and follows her to the red truck just in front of them.

"Where is she?" Erin asks.

"Erin." Boden says, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Erin." He repeats getting her to look at him instead of the burnt remains of her apartment. She already knew the answer to her question, but part of her refused to believe it.

"Erin, she didn't make it." Boden confirms, and she feels both sad, and somewhat relieved. She knows how horrible that would sound if she admitted it out loud, but she wasn't planning on announcing it to anyone.

She turns to Jay, and falls into his chest. Her body shakes with sobs, and he just holds her, kissing her forehead as he looks at the apartment before them. He's heartbroken for the woman in his arms, but another part of him is angry at her mother. Angry that even in her last moments she chose to bring her daughter down, by destroying her home.

XXXXXX

The whole firehouse goes to Bunny's funeral, and Jay makes sure he stays close in case Erin needs him. But she doesn't. She gives him sad, soft looks, but she's pushing him away. The service is short, with just the funeral home director saying a few standard words before everyone starts to file out, giving Erin their sincerest condolences as they leave.

Jay stays back, and he's glad he does when a middle aged man steps in front of Erin. Her posture hasn't exactly been relaxed for the duration of the day, but her shoulders tense even more when this stranger says her name.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Erin asks coldly.

"You were just a little thing the last time I saw you. Your mother always sent pictures, but you've grown up to be a beautiful young lady."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Hank Voight." The man says gruffly, and Erin looks confused. "I'm your father." The man adds, and Jay moves to stand behind Erin.

"No, that's not possible my father is in jail."

"I was, but I got out a few weeks back. I was trying to find you, and when I saw your mother's name in an article regarding the fire, I figured it was worth a shot to see if you were here."

"Well you came, you saw, and now you can leave."

"I want to get to know you Erin."

"Well I don't want to get to know you Hank, so if you could just leave me alone please." Erin pleads as she turns towards Jay; finding comfort in having him there.

"I have a right to be in your life." Hank adds.

"Maybe if I was a little girl, but I'm an adult, and I've gone my whole life without you." Erin snaps, and then he grabs her wrist roughly, causing her to hiss.

"Look man, she said no." Jay bellows, as he comes to stand between them. "You need to leave." The older man nods and lets out a gruff hum before leaving.

"Thank you." She whispers as he gently takes her already bruised wrist in his hand.

"You should put some ice on that." He suggests when she pulls it away from him.

"Ok, I uh I got to go." She says, before leaving in a hurry.

XXXXXX

No one hears from her for a few weeks, but Jay gets Adam to ask Kim how she is every day, since she's living with her temporarily. Eventually Adam gets sick of Jay asking, and just gives him his girlfriend's number. After another couple weeks, Kim lets him know when Erin's apartment is all fixed.

Jay and Kim convince Mouse and Adam to raise money to help get her new things. And a few days after, Firehouse 51 comes together to paint and refurbish her entire apartment. But he still doesn't hear from her. He doesn't need a thanks or anything, but he just wish he could hear her voice, find out how she's doing directly from her.

XXXXXX

He thinks his prayers get answered one day when he sees Millie chasing her tail in the hall near the kitchen of the firehouse. And sure enough, there's Erin sitting on the couch talking to Mouch. She smiles at something Mouch says, but it doesn't reach her eyes, and her dimples don't pop.

Jay squats down to pet the puppy he hasn't seen since that night. Millie seems excited to see him and jumps up to put her paws on his shoulder.

"It looks like she missed you."

"Yeah, I missed her too." He says, but he's not looking at the puppy anymore. Erin thinks that maybe he's not actually talking about the puppy. He stands up, and she nods to the side. They walk towards the locker room.

"I'm sorry." She says in hushed tone.

"Don't be, I figured you'd come back when you're ready." He says when they get to the end of the hall. "Have you been back to your apartment yet?" He asks.

"No, I figured one hurdle at a time."

"Right that's understandable. Uh maybe you, me and Millie could go out for ice cream or something tomorrow?" He suggests.

"I think that maybe we should cool it."

"What? Why?" His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips already forming a pout. She has to look away, because she already regrets saying it.

"I just… I just think you'll be better off, you deserve better than me." She stutters as he attempts to pull her into him, but she shakes her head. "My parents were—are—screw ups, and I can't help but think that I will be too. I don't deserve someone like you."

"Erin I-" He starts, but the PA system rings loud, and Ambulance 61 gets called out. She avoids him again after that, declining his calls, ignoring his texts, and shaking her head at every attempt he makes to talk to her.

Eventually he gives up, and they both leave each other alone.


	9. Chapter 9

The dark pub is rather busy for a Tuesday night, he thinks, as he walks into the bar. He doesn't even have to say anything to his best friend before a half glass of whiskey is being slid towards him. He shoots it back quickly, and slides it back to Mouse, silently asking for another one.

"Rough shift?" Mouse asks, as he pours more amber liquid into a glass.

Jay ponders briefly before shaking his head.

"Not really."

"Alright, well would you drinking the rest of this bottle have anything to do with Erin?" Mouse questions as he fills the glass again and Jay's eyes shoot up from the bar top to his friend. Mouse doesn't say anything else; instead he just nods toward the back of the bar, answering Jay's silent question. "She's been here for about an hour, hasn't said anything except for what she wanted to drink."

Jay nods and debates whether or not to stay put. But he takes another look at her and decides he can't just leave her alone anymore.

"Can I get two beers please?" He asks, and Mouse pops the tops off two bottles before sliding them to Jay. Jay nods in thanks as he stands from the stool. He walks over to her slowly as he thinks of what to say to the broken girl before him. Apparently he didn't think long enough, because all that comes out of his mouth is a simple "hey."

"Hey." She says back quietly, not even lifting her gaze from her glass.

"Mind if I join you?" He asks as he cautiously places the two beer bottles on the table. She shakes her head, and he nods and takes a seat. He wordlessly offers her the second beer

"Thanks but I'm ok." She answers. Jay was just about to say something again when Adam stumbles out from behind the bar.

"Good you guys are talking again. Sooo not to sound rude or anything, but-" He stops himself.

"But you're going to say something rude anyways." Jay adds.

"Between my sister being in town, and you staying with Kim, I haven't really gotten any in like a week, which is a huge problem."

"So you want me out." Erin states

"No, I mean yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"Adam!" Jay scolds.

"It's fine Jay." She interrupts; throwing her whiskey back, and then chugging the beer Jay offered. "I guess it's time I go back to my apartment. I'll need to get Millie." She places her hand on Jay's; squeezing it gently as she stands.

"Erin, wait." Jay mutters as she stands. She gives him a weak smile before turning around to leave.

"Thanks a lot Adam." Jay says as he follows Erin.

When he gets outside he sees her climbing into her car, and he runs over to her.

"What are you doing?" He holds the door open and she looks at him, confused.

"I'm going to get my puppy from Kim's, why?" She asks quietly.

"And you're driving?"

"Like you care?"

"You're the one that wanted to cool it Erin, not me, and like it or not I do care." He states. "I'm not letting you drive." He adds after a few moments.

She looks down like she's ashamed. "I wasn't planning on driving."

"I can call you a cab or get an Uber." He says pulling out his phone.

"I was actually just going to walk to get Millie, I just needed to grab my phone charger." She admits but he continues looking at his phone. "You don't have to book either of those Jay."

"Alright, but I can't let you walk alone."

"Ok."

He looks at her again, this time surprised that she agreed so quickly.

"Ok." He says, putting his hand out for her, and she gently puts her hand in his.

XXXXXX

They walk silently for about ten minutes before either of them speaks. He sees her wrap her arms around herself as much as she can and he decides to take his hoodie off and place it on her shoulders. She smiles as she looks over at him and snuggles into the warm fabric.

"I'm sorry." She whispers and he looks at her.

"You're grieving, and I get it I guess, but if you need to talk Erin, I'm still here to listen."

She nods at that, but they don't say anything else as they get to Kim's apartment.

"Are you going to stay out here?"

"Yeah, unless you need help?"

"No, I just have to grab Millie. I'll grab her crate another time."

"Ok." He leans against the railing as she unlocks the door. Once she walks inside, he sees a truck park across the street, out of the corner of his eye. He pretends not to notice that no one exits the blacked out truck. He pulls out his phone, and pretends to look through it as he waits. Millie gets him to look up towards the door when she barks. Her whole little body wiggles as she wags her tail, and she pulls on her leash as Erin locks the door. He hears the truck start up again and he looks over at it briefly.

"You ready?" Erin asks when she gets to the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah." He answers as he pets Millie, who's whining excitedly at his feet.

"You're the only she does that to."

"She loves me." He says with a smirk, and Erin smiles at that as they start the thirty minute walk to her place. Millie lays down about half way there, and Jay picks her up and she falls asleep in his arms.

"So you haven't been back to your apartment since-?" Jay asks nervously.

"No. Kim told me it was all fixed, but I just haven't been able to go back." She says as he looks back to see the black truck parked half a block behind them. "I figured I'd be sad you know, I mean she was my mom, but she was a horrible person. So while I was sad at first, I also felt relieved." She admits with a sigh. "What kind of person am I that I'm relieved that my mom is gone?"

He doesn't say anything for a minute, and her heart begins to race and her mind runs wild as the silence streches on.

 _See you're a horrible person, he's not saying anything because he thinks it too._ She thinks before he talks.

"My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer when I was fifteen. My mom sat my brother and me down and told us the day she found out. I asked if I could be excused, and I went up to my room and punched a few holes in my wall. In my head he was getting the easy out, he was dying instead of having to rot in jail. My mom came up later with my dinner and told me I was allowed to feel however I was feeling, no one was going to judge me or think of me different." He stands in front of her and she stops. Suddenly the damn breaks and tears flood down her face.

"Point is that no one will judge you for being sad or relieved that she's gone." She moves forward slowly, before falling into his chest. She was afraid he'd push her away, or his body would tense against hers, but he doesn't. Instead he wraps his free arm around her; his hand coming up to weave through her hair as his chin rests on top of her head. "Especially not me, babe." He whispers into her ear, before kissing her temple, not missing the truck still parked nearby. They continue on their walk to the apartment a few minutes later.

When they get there, Erin slowly unlocks the door, and she gasps once they're inside. She grabs Jay's hand and squeezes tightly as she takes in the pictures adorning the walls, and the new furniture; bringing a fresh batch of tears to her eyes. She plops down on the light brown suede of the couch.

"We weren't sure if you'd like it, but my couch guy said you could just test drive it if you'd like." He says as her free hand runs over the soft material slowly, and looks up at him.

"I love it. Did you do all of this?"

"Kim, Adam, Mouse and pretty much everyone at 51 helped." He responds, not wanting to her to freak out if he told her the amount of time and money he actually put into her apartment.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to, I don't deserve this."

"Why do you think you don't deserve this? Or people who actually care about you? Because Bunny said so?" He asks as he lets go of her hand. "Well she was wrong. You deserve the love from everyone at 51, and Kim, and me." He adds as he puts Millie in the dog bed next to the couch. "You deserve all of this and if I could, I would have given you more. And I promise I'm going to try my best to make sure you know that, so whatever it is that she drilled into your head will fade away." He concludes as he squats in front of her, his hands rest on her knees. She leans forward and cups his jaw before kissing him.

He moves up to sit next to her and he pulls her closer until she's straddling his lap, kissing her before dipping her into the couch.


	10. Chapter 10

He gets woken up by Millie jumping on him and licking his face— it seems to be a routine that she's gotten into in the last few weeks, whenever he spends the night. He gently pushes her off of him and opens his eyes to find that Erin isn't in the bed with him anymore, but then he hears the shower running in the bathroom. Millie licks his cheek as he reaches for his phone to check the time; a smirk coming to his face when he sees that they still have two hours before their shift starts. He gets out of bed, not even bothering to cover himself as he pads over to the bathroom. He walks over to the tub, pulling the curtain back and stepping in behind her as she rinses the shampoo from her hair.

"Mmm." She hums as he wraps his arms around the smooth, wet skin of her waist and places kisses from her jaw to her collarbone. "Did I wake you?"

"No, your puppy did, again." He mumbles against her neck, and she giggles.

"She's never done that to me."

"I guess she just likes me more."

"You wish." She mumbles as he uses one foot to spread her legs, positioning himself at her entrance. He groans and she gasps when he enters her with one push. She places one of her hands on the tiled wall, and the other lays on top of his on her stomach.

XXXXXX

"Come on Millie." Otis cheers from down the hall, kneeling next to Matt, Gabby, Capp, Cruz, and Stella.

"Millie come here girl." Stella says next, holding a treat out in front of her. Jay walks into the hallway and wonders what the hell his co workers are doing. His eyes meet Erin's as she stands in front of the kitchen with Millie lying by her feet. He puckers his lips quickly and winks at her before raising his eyebrow and pointing at the six people on the floor in front of them.

"What are you guys doing?" He asks as he gets closer to them; Millie lifts her head, then gets up and runs over to Jay, avoiding the small group on the ground to get to him.

"Trying to get Millie to come-" Gabby starts but stops herself from finishing the sentence when she sees the puppy run right over to Jay. He sets his bag down on the floor as he scoops up the not-so-little puppy. She attacks his face with kisses and everyone including Erin laughs. Erin stays in the same spot she's been in for twenty minutes as their friends get up and walk to either Jay or her. Gabby and Stella go over to Erin, and they smirk as she looks down as if she wasn't just making googly eyes at Jay.

"So much for no in house romance." Gabby states.

"What are you talking about?" Erin questions.

"You don't actually think we don't notice the little touches and longing looks between you two, do you?" Stella asks.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yes." Stella nods. "Plus your puppy kind of gives it away."

Erin laughs at that. "She's obsessed with him." She admits.

"It wasn't obvious until a few weeks ago, but now it totally is." Gabby adds. "Also if you want your secrets kept you shouldn't tell Kim."

"That wasn't at all intentional, we just bumped into her at his friend's bar one night."

A call comes through and everyone rushes out to the garage; Erin and Gabby hop up into the ambulance.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist him when I saw you eyeing him up on his first day." Gabby says as they are pulling out of the garage and Erin just smiles.

XXXXXX

When they arrive to the address, they see the house in flames and a woman pacing back and forth on the sidewalk with a toddler on her hip.

"My daughter, you have to go get my daughter!" She screams as Jay and Kelly get out of the truck first.

"Where did you see her last?" Kelly asks, as Jay puts his mask on and runs towards the house.

"Upstairs, in her room." The woman answers, and he goes to follow Jay in. They move through the house swiftly, getting to the little girl's room quickly.

Jay hears coughing and moves towards the closet. He opens the door, and sees the little girl curled up on the floor. "Kelly I got her." He yells as he picks her up and wraps her in his coat before exiting the house.

He takes her straight to Erin and Gabby, and they give her oxygen.

"Where's Daisy?" The little girl asks Gabby.

"Who's Daisy sweetheart?" Gabby asks.

"My puppy." The little girl coughs.

"Jay!" Erin yells, and he looks over at her. "Did you see a dog?"

"No." He yells back.

"Can you go look?"

"We'll go look once the flames are tamed."

"Jay." She says after he turns his attention back to the fire.

"Fine, I'll go get Daisy myself." Erin mutters, and that gets his attention.

"Like hell you are, the house is falling apart." He scolds, as she shrugs her shoulders and runs up to the house.

"Erin!" Jay and Matt both yell. Jay goes to run in after her, but Boden puts his hand up, just as the flames roar louder and grow larger.

"You're not going in there." Boden orders, and Jay pushes his hand away. "Halstead!" Jay continues to ignore his boss and rushes into the house.

"Erin!" He shouts as he walks towards the back of the house. "Erin!" He continues on the first floor, and then he sees her. She's on the ground; her eyes are closed and the puppy she came in for is snuggled to her chest. There's a wooden beam pinning her to the floor. "Damn it Erin." He mutters as he quickly removes his oxygen mask and slips it over her head. He takes off his coat to lay over her before moving to lift the heavy beam. The flames close in on them and his arm gets burned, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins blocks out the pain, helping him focus on lifting the couple hundred pound beam off of Erin's limp body. Once she's freed, he picks her and the dog up and maneuvers through the hall as the house starts to crumble around them.


	11. Chapter 11

" _You're not going in there." Boden orders, and Jay pushes his hand away. "Halstead!" Jay continues to ignore his boss and rushes into the house._

" _Erin!" He shouts as he walks towards the back of the house. "Erin!" He continues on the first floor, and then he sees her. She's on the ground; her eyes are closed and the puppy she came in for is snuggled to her chest. There's a wooden beam pinning her to the floor. "Damn it Erin." He mutters as he quickly removes his oxygen mask and slips it over her takes off his coat to lay over her before moving to lift the heavy beam. The flames close in on them and his arm gets burned, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins blocks out the pain, helping him focus on lifting the couple hundred pound beam off of Erin's limp body. Once she's freed, he picks her up and maneuvers through the hall as the house starts to crumble around them._

XXXXXX

Her body is dangling in his arms, her arms and legs swinging with each step he takes. Just as Jay climbs into the backseat of Boden's truck, the ground shakes and the house collapses behind them. He absentmindedly hands the dog to Herrmann before closing the door. He looks down and can see her chest rising and falling; he tries to let that calm him as he gets situated with her unconscious form in his lap. He silently prays that she's going to be alright, as the world seems to slow with each passing minute, even as Boden speeds to the hospital.

XXXXXX

The nurse and doctor are just leaving as he's pulling his shirt on. He sits back down as his mom knocks on the doorframe.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you, is that not allowed?"

"It is but you didn't have to. I'm fine, it's just a burn." He answers, holding up his arm that's wrapped with gauze all the way up to his bicep where the black ink of his tattoo starts.

"Jay, the woman that you love almost died. It's ok if you're not fine."

"I know, but the doctor said she's going to be ok." He replies, not missing the smirk on his mother's face.

"What's with the smirk ma?"

"You didn't deny it."

"Deny what?"

"That you love her." She says, and he thinks about it as he stands, a smirk of his own making its way onto his face. "Where are you going?" She questions as he nears the door.

"To Erin's room."

"Can I meet her?"

"Soon, this just isn't exactly how I wanted you to meet her."

"Ok, love you."

"Love you too mom. See you later." He says as they go their separate ways in the hall.

XXXXXX

His breath hitches as he walks into her room; her hair is down and there's gauze wrapped around the top of her head. The clear oxygen tube is lying above her light pink cheeks, and her forearm is wrapped just like his. The doctor told him that she only has a few broken ribs from where the beam hit her, and ever since, he couldn't stop thinking about how it could have been much worse. What if the thick piece of wood hadn't been propped up by bottom stair that lead up to the second floor? He shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. He relives the moments he was in the house, not even noticing her eyes fluttering open. Her coughs get his attention, and he snaps out of it, quickly walking over to the side of the bed.

"Hey." She greets, an extra rasp to her voice.

"Hey." He replies as he sits next to her on the bed.

"How's the little girl?" She asks.

"She's a little shaken up, but otherwise she's fine."

"And the dog?"

"The dog is somehow fine too."

"Good."

"You know what you did was incredibly stupid though, right?"

"Here comes the lecture." She rolls her eyes.

"Why'd you do it?"

"The little girl, she looked horrified when she asked where her puppy was, I couldn't help but think of our puppy." She admits and it's not lost on him that she said _our_.

"You could have gotten yourself killed."

"What if it had been Millie, would you have been able to just wait until the flames were put out?"

He lets out a loud sigh.

"As much as I would never want anything bad to happen to her, I still wouldn't want you running into a burning house for her. I love Millie, but I love you more." He confesses as he reaches over to cup her cheek. She leans into his touch, her eyelashes fluttering a little, and her nostrils flaring ever-so-slightly. He dips his head down, careful not to put any of his weight on her in any way. His lips ghost over hers so lightly she's not even sure they actually touch, so she moves closer to him—letting out a painful hiss in the process—and gives him a deep, passionate kiss.

"I love you too." She whispers in between kisses. Her lungs are screaming for air, but she ignores it for as long as possible, until she can no longer fight the urge to cough.

XXXXXX

"I understand that you and Erin have been seeing each other for a few months, which isn't against any rules." Boden states, and Jay nods. "But I can't have you disobeying direct orders."

"Yes sir."

"I know you've been transferred a lot, and I thought about transferring you again, but you're already a valued member of this family. Which is why I'm only suspending you."

"That's fair."

"But know if you pull something like this again, it won't just be a suspension." Boden concludes just as a call comes in. He stands and pulls his jacket off the back of the chair, moving to exit his office.

Jay walks through the firehouse looking for Millie. The last place he looks is the kitchen, where he finds her sleeping on the couch.

"Hey Mill." He says in a hushed tone. She wakes up immediately and jumps off the couch to get to him. "Let's go see what your owner is up to." He says as he grabs her leash off the long table and attaches it to her collar before they leave.

When they get back to the apartment, he lets her off the leash and she takes off. He follows her to the bedroom, and then to the bathroom where he soon hears a chuckle from Erin.

"Hi Millie. Hey babe." Erin greets as she tries to keep the puppy from jumping into the bathtub with her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore, really sore." She answers as he walks towards them. "And I thought taking a bath would help, but I can't seem to get comfortable." She adds.

He can see the blue and purple coloration of the skin just below her breasts, even through the pink bubbles surrounding her.

"Did you try putting a towel behind your back?"

"Yeah."

"Mm." He hums as he tries to think of something that could help her get more comfortable and relax.

"Maybe you could join me?" She suggests shyly, and he smirks at her cheeks turning pink.

"I don't know how much that'd help, it'd probably just make it cramped and I don't want to hurt you."

"Can we just try? I promise you won't hurt me."

"Babe."

"Please?" She pushes her bottom lip out. He contemplates walking back out to the bedroom until she's ready to get out, but he can't resist her pout, and starts getting undressed. Once all of his clothes are off she scoots forward, and lets him sit down behind her. She slides back, and he bites back a moan as her ass rubs up against his member. Her back is flush against his chest, and she rests her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as his finger begins to slowly run up and down her arm. He places a lingering kiss to her temple, and can already feel her body start to relax.

When they get out, Jay wraps her arm; she returns the favor before they head out to the living room. He orders take out, and they eat while watching the Blackhawks game. During intermission, Jay puts the leftovers away and cleans the dishes. After drying the plates, he goes back out to the living room to find Erin asleep with Millie lying right beside her. He carefully picks Erin up and carries her to the bedroom. She whimpers, and her face scrunches when she snuggles into her pillows. He waits to see if she stays asleep before going to grab Millie's leash to take her on a walk, turning the TV off as they leave.

When they get to the sidewalk he notices the familiar blacked out truck. He sees the driver side window roll up, but not before he gets a glimpse of the driver. He doesn't want to leave Erin alone so he lets Millie go pee on a patch of grass before going back inside and locking the door.


	12. Chapter 12

He takes his time lining up his equipment on the side of the rig as everyone quickly walks inside, passing Erin as she makes her way out to the garage and walks up behind him.

"Hey babe." She whispers even though they're the only ones in the garage.

"Hey, how'd your appointment go?" He stands up straight and turns towards her, immediately grasping her sides and pulling her into him.

"Great, I come back to work tomorrow."

"Mm that's great." He murmurs against her lips, his hands migrating to cup her ass, lifting her so her back is against the cool metal of the truck, the worry of hurting her now gone.

She places her hands on his chest and pushes him a little, so that their lips break apart. "Don't start something you can't finish Jay."

"Oh I plan on finishing babe."

"We're at work."

"Boden took us out of service for now, so we can all catch our breath." He assures, and she raises her eyebrow at him. He nods up at the truck he currently has her pinned to, and she bites her lip and nods.

They stumble into the truck, ripping at each other's clothing. She stands to rid herself of her pants, while he pushes his pants and boxers down to his mid thigh before he's pulling her onto his lap. His member slides against her wet core as he pushes her hips down, before she guides him to her tight cavern. An almost animal like growl rips through his lips and echoes through the jumpseat area as she starts riding him; a pant escaping her lips with every plunge. He peppers sloppy kisses along her jaw and neck and pulls her shirt up to reveal her bra; his nose nudging the lace to the side to place slow kisses to her nipple a few times.

Her eyes roll as she tosses her head back, her hands pressing against his chest as their rhythm becomes more frantic. He soon stills her hips so he can lay her across the seat. His length stays buried inside her as he attaches his lips to hers; pulling back after a few beats just as he begins drive to into her. It's not long before he has her nearing the edge, and he seals his lips over hers; muffling their groans as they reach their climaxes together.

XXXXXX

"That was-" She begins but lets out a giggle to finish as they straighten their clothes.

"That was amazing." He exclaims against her lips just before they exit the fire engine.

Hand in hand, they're making their way towards the door leading into the firehouse, when Erin stops abruptly.

"I have to go get my paperwork from my doctor."

He nods and lets go of her hand as he continues inside.

She's walking with her hands in the pockets of the jacket she's wearing and looks down at the ground as she gets to her car, not noticing the man climbing out of the black truck across the street.

"Erin." A guff voice mumbles behind her as she closes her door, causing her to jump.

"What are you doing here? How'd you know where I work?" She asks while taking in the bruises covering his face.

"I told you at the funeral that I'd like to get to know you."

"And I told you that I don't want that, so you decided to stalk me?"

XXXXXX

Millie twirls when she sees Jay walking towards her and he calls her to him, knowing that's her sign. He takes her outside and lets her do her business. He looks up from her to see Erin standing in front of her car talking to the guy who claimed to be her dad at Bunny's funeral. He starts to walk towards them when he notices the black truck parked on the other side of the street; the same truck that he's seen multiple times in the last couple months.

Erin's posture is tense and she gives him a look. It's not fearful, but worried and pleading, and it has Jay handing her the leash and putting himself between his girlfriend and the old stranger like he did at the funeral. "She tells you she wants nothing to do with you and you decide to follow her everywhere?" Jay bellows.

"I'm not hurting anyone."

"No, but stalking is against the law. I guess I shouldn't have expected a dirty cop to know that."

"I just want to get to know my daughter."

"You missed your chance of knowing your daughter, you need to leave." Jay bellows.

"Fine, I'll go."

Erin and Jay turn to walk back inside with Millie leading the way.

"But I'll be seeing you around Erin." Voight concludes and Erin turns her head slightly to look at him just before they walk through the door.

XXXXXX

A couple weeks later, Jay's brother and sister in law come to town, so Jay leaves Erin's to go pick them up around nine. Erin bundles up a little before going to take Millie on a walk. They get around the block quickly, and when they get home there's someone waiting for them on the front steps of their building.

"What do you want from me?" She asks angrily.

"Erin I need help, they're going to kill me." He sighs. "Look, I know I wasn't there for you growing up, but if you help me I can be there for you from now on."

"I don't need you in my life. I'm sorry that you've gotten yourself into trouble again, but I'm not bailing you out. Now if you'd excuse me."

"I need money Erin." He adds stepping even more in front of the door.

"Well you won't get a penny from me."

"I'm good for it."

"She said no." Jay growls as he walks up the stairs, quickly grabbing the older man by the collar of his leather jacket. Neither Jay nor Erin see the gun that Hank pulls out until it's too late. Jay releases his jacket, and his hand goes to the spot on his lower abdomen that is now gushing blood through the material of his shirt. Erin moves towards him, but Hank points the gun at her. She stops briefly before Millie jumps up and bites Hank's wrist causing him to drop the gun.

Though injured, Jay's reflexes are still quick and he moves to pick the heavy metal up off the ground. He points the gun at Hank as Erin continues towards Jay who's leaning against the railing, blood seeping through his fingers. She removes her scarf and pushes it against his wound just as sirens echo around them.


	13. Chapter 13

Her hands are shaky and stained red from his blood; her knee is bouncing vigorously as she sits in one of the chairs made up of metal and vinyl. She's surrounded by their colleagues when a red haired man and a dark haired woman walk up to the desk. The man talks to Maggie as a middle aged woman with the same red hair as the man walks up to stand beside them. She thinks they look familiar but her brain is running a mile a minute, so it takes her longer than it should to realize that they are her boyfriend's mom and brother. As his mom turns towards the waiting room, Erin sees the color of her eyes, a blue green that almost matches Jay's exactly. Seeing them causes her to stand and begin to pace as they continue to wait for Jay to get out of surgery.

He had remained conscious the whole ride to the hospital and she was surprisingly calm as she sat beside him.

But now the events of the night have caught up to her. She wants to see him, touch him, hear him. She wants to go back to her apartment and stay locked away with him, away from the rest of the world for the next couple weeks or months.

She stops briefly as every person dressed in scrubs walks by, hoping they're coming to give them an update. But every time she gets disappointed.

Eventually she hears a soft voice. "You must be Erin."

"I uh yes I am and I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for dear?" Jay's mom asks.

"If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be in the hospital for the second time in two months."

"No one blames you, and when he gets out of surgery he'll be sure to let you know that this isn't your fault."

Erin nods and a deep sigh escapes her lips when she recognizes the doctor that walked back with Jay earlier. He smiles, making his way towards them.

"He's going to be just fine. We were able to remove the majority of the bullet fragments."

"And the ones you weren't able to remove aren't going to cause any problems?" Erin questions quickly.

"There's only a couple left, and yes, we're confident that he'll make a full recovery." The doctor replies and Erin nods.

"Can we see him?" Mrs. Halstead asks.

The doctor nods. "We just ask that there are no more than 2 people in the room with a patient." He turns on his heel before walking down the hall, Jay's mom close behind him. She looks back when she realizes that Erin's not following.

"You're not coming Erin?"

"I'll wait, I'm sure you guys want to see him just as badly."

"Yeah, but he's only going to want to see you." Jay's brother replies with a crooked smile similar to his brother's.

She gives him a weak smile in return. "Thanks, but I'll wait." And she does. She waits for everyone to visit with him before she goes in to see him.

His mother is seated in a chair next to the bed, talking and smiling. Jay laughs at something she says before hissing, his face scrunching slightly in pain. When he sees Erin, his face softens, his eyes bright as he gives her a smile that causes the corners of her lips to curl up a little.

Her heart simultaneously feels lighter and heavier as she walks further into the room. Sitting in the waiting room has given her some time to think about the situation and all that's transpired while they've been together. She's put his life in danger too many times already, and she's afraid that if they stay together she'll eventually get him hurt too badly— or worse, killed. Tears trail down her cheeks when she gets to his side, her emotions all mixing together.

"Hey babe." Jays greets groggily, pulling her to sit down next to him on the bed. "Please don't cry, I'm fine." He whispers into her hairline.

"Call me if you need anything—that goes for both of you. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you." His mom says as she stands from the chair. She leans down to place a motherly kiss to the crown of Jay's head.

"Goodnight ma."

"Goodnight." She says back before she leaves.

They lay there for about a half hour, just enjoying being in each other's presence before he whispers against her forehead. "I don't blame you, you know that right?"

She nods, though she feels like saying no. She blames herself, and nothing he says is going to change that.

"I love you." He adds after a minute or so.

"I love you too." She replies as a fresh batch of tears fall from her eyes. She wants to savor this time with him, cherish their last few moments together as a couple.

Eventually she feels his breathing even out and she slowly lifts her head to look at his face. His eyes are closed, and his lips are parted a little. She leans in to kiss his cheek, slowly tracing the pad of her thumb over the same spot before she extracts herself from his warm embrace and climbs off the small bed. She tiptoes to the door, pausing to look back at his sleeping form. She sniffles as she looks down and wipes her cheeks before leaving.

She drives home and parks across the street from her apartment, sitting in her car as she stares at the door of her building. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and dials Boden's number. Her hands are still shaking as her thumb hovers over the green button before tapping on it. It rings a few times and then he answers.

"Hey Boden I'm sorry for calling you so late."

"It's fine Erin, how can I help you? Is Jay still doing alright?"

"Yeah, he's ok." She answers, pinching the bridge of her nose before she gets to why she was calling in the first place. "I have a favor to ask you." She murmurs into the phone.

XXXXXX

"Good morning sweetheart." His mom greets as she walks into the hospital room four days after he arrived.

"Hey ma." He mumbles as he finishes pulling his shirt over his head.

"Are you ready?" She asks as she comes to a stop at the foot of the bed.

"Yeah." He says as he stands from the bed. They exit the hospital and get into the car in silence.

"Have you heard back from her at all?"

"No, I haven't talked to her since my first night in the hospital."

"Did you tell her that you didn't blame her?"

"Yeah." He replies, resting his chin on his hand as he looks out the window. "But I guess it wasn't enough."

"She seemed pretty shaken up that night Jay, maybe she just needs some time and space." She adds as they come to a stop in front of his apartment.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at home until you're all healed?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thanks mom." He answers sadly, opening the car door.

"Let me know if you change your mind. Love you."

"Love you too mom." He says before getting out of the car with some difficulty.

Once inside he tries calling Erin, but she doesn't answer. "Hey, it's me. I just got home and I'd really like to see you, but I understand if you need space." He begins, he really doesn't understand but he continues. "None of this was your fault baby. I love you. Please call me back." He says into the phone just before it beeps signaling the end of the message. He pulls the phone away from his ear and walks to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and making his way to the couch.

XXXXXX

Another few days go by and he continues to try to get a hold of her, but there's no answer. He even tries to go to her apartment, but it seems she's never home.

After a couple weeks, he goes back to work, filling in for Connie while she's away on vacation.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Gabby asks when she's walking past the desk.

"I'm fine I guess, just been worried about Erin. I was hoping to see her today, but I guess she isn't in yet."

"No one told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Erin asked to be transferred the night you were shot." Gabby informs him.

His eyebrows furrow as he spins the chair and stands up. "Where was she transferred?"

"Twenty one."

"Can you tell Boden-"

Gabby puts her hand up to stop him. "Go get our girl back." he's already out the door before she even finishes her sentence.


	14. Chapter 14

He walks into the familiar building and immediately sets his sights on his girlfriend—if he can even call her that anymore. He takes a deep breath as he takes a few cautious steps toward her. But an old friend steps in front of him and pats his shoulder.

"Halstead, how have you been?"

"Hey Rixton, I've been alright, how about you?" Jay asks, only taking his eyes off Erin for a second.

"Good, good. What brings you by?"

"I was actually just coming to see my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Rixton questions, turning to follow Jay's gaze.

"You're dating Erin?"

"Well I _was_ , but I'm not so sure right now."

"Alright well I'll let you go find out, good luck. It was good seeing you man."

"Thanks, you too." Jay concludes before continuing towards Erin. "Hey." He whispers causing her to turn around.

"Hey." She replies sadly, tears quickly pooling in her eyes.

"Can we talk?" He asks. She looks around, looks back at him and nods. He walks back the way he just came and she follows. Once they're halfway to his truck, he stops and turns toward her.

"How have you been?" He asks first.

"I've been ok I guess." She answers, but he sees the internal turmoil she's suffering as she blinks back the tears in her eyes. He fights the urge to pull her into a hug, settling for cupping her cheek. A slight jolt runs from her face to the pad of his thumb as he runs it over her skin.

"You can be honest with me, Erin. No matter what is going on between us or around us you can always count on me to have your back."

"I love you, I really do, and it scared me Jay. When I first started feeling the way I do about you, I was terrified." She whispers and he steps closer to her, but he doesn't say anything, getting the feeling she's not done. "But nothing terrified me as much as-" She begins, but she's cut off by a call that comes through on the loud speaker. She looks back quickly and then looks at Jay, leaning in to kiss his cheek before running off. He stands there frozen for several minutes after the ambulance drives away.

XXXXXX

The next night, he goes to her apartment. He's got a bag of take out, a case of beer, and a bone for Millie. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he closes his eyes and lifts his hand to the door. He fidgets slightly on the spot before he hears her approaching and Millie sniffing at the bottom of the door. The lock clicks and the white wood swings open. She holds a very excited Millie back by her collar as she attempts to jump all over Jay.

"Jay I-" She starts.

"We can talk over Thai and a beer." He interrupts and she thinks about it before she moves back a little more, letting him walk in.

Once he sets the food down, he removes two bottles of beer and then takes the rest to the fridge. Millie seems to only get more excited as the time passes, so Erin lets her go once Jay sets the beers down on the counter. He squats down and Millie attacks him with slobbery kisses, letting out her typical whine as her whole body wags and shakes. He blindly reaches around for her bone before his hand hits it and grabs it to give to her. She sniffs the meaty treat briefly before taking it and running to her bed in the living room. Erin's eyes follow her dog and then look back at Jay just as he stands up.

"Thank you for that." She says genuinely and he nods as he gets plates for them. She lets out a deep sigh and hangs her head low while he gets their plates together. "Look Jay, I didn't get a chance to finish what I was saying yesterday."

He places the white container back down on the counter and the fork is laid next to the plate as his eyes focus on her.

"I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"I get that that night freaked you out Erin, because it freaked me out too, but it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was Jay, if it weren't for my supposed father you wouldn't have ended up with a bullet in your side."

"It was Voight that pulled the trigger Erin, not you. The guy's a criminal, that's who he is."

"Exactly. That's who he is and Bunny wasn't any better. Neither of them is or was capable of being a genuinely good human being, so how could I be?"

"This again?! I knew it when you pushed me away after Bunny died, I guess I was just too afraid to say it to you but that is complete bullshit and deep down you know that too."

"Is it really Jay?"

"Yes it really is Erin!"

"Well you may think that how I feel is bullshit, but it's true."

"Don't twist my words around! I never said that how you feel is bullshit, but the fact that you could even think that you're a bad person or are going to become a bad person because you have shitty parents is a completely ridiculous thought."

"That's easy for someone like you to say."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You have this perfect relationship with your mom, so you don't know what it's like not to really have a parent. You had this perfect chil-" She cuts herself off but it's too late—he knows what she was going to say. For the first time since meeting him, she feels as if he might hurt her, but a voice inside her that reminds her that he's not like that.

"Jesus Christ, you weren't seriously going to say I had a perfect childhood were you?!" He yells as he grabs his jacket. He sees Millie hiding under the end table next to the couch with her tail tucked between her legs. He feels bad for scaring the puppy but he knows he should go before either of them says something they can't retract. He looks at Erin; she hasn't moved but he hears her sniffle. He takes a few steps to get to her, and places a kiss to her hair before he leaves.

She got what she was looking for, but her heart still sinks when the door slams behind him and she falls to her knees on the hard tiled floor of her kitchen. Millie slowly makes her way to her owner and lays her head on Erin's lap.

"I'm sorry." She whispers. She's not sure if she's apologizing to her dog, to herself, or to him, but she repeats it a few more times as she leans back against the dark wood cabinets.

He can't help but look up at her window briefly as he turns the key in the ignition. The night definitely didn't go as planned, and he thinks about going back to her, but he knows that isn't a good idea. It felt final as he pulled the door knob and the white slab slammed shut. He came to get her back and instead they pushed each other further away. And as he drives to his friend's bar he decides it's best that they keep their distance, at least for now.

XXXXXX


	15. Chapter 15

Erin's rinsing her mouth out after throwing up for the seventh time since waking up when a call blares through the speakers and echoes through the firehouse. She takes a deep breath before running out to the rig, quickly hopping in the passenger seat. Her new partner looks at her confused but starts the rig and drives out of the garage. A couple minutes later she has her back against the headrest and her eyes closed.

"You alright Lindsay?" Her partner, Shane, asks.

She just nods. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just have a headache." She lies just as Shane puts the rig in park.

They rush inside the dorm hall and are greeted by a panicked girl.

"My roommate, please, you have to help."

"Ok where is your roommate?"

"This way." She says and jogs towards the end of the hall. She pushes the door open and lets Erin and Shane into the room.

There's a young blonde lying on the bed with a small pool of liquid between her legs.

"She was complaining about pain in her abdomen. I told her that it was probably cramps. She said it was different, I didn't believe her."

Erin looks at the brunette behind them. "Ok, thank you …?" Erin replies slowly and the young panicked girl picks up on the silent question.

"Emily." The girl says.

"Emily, can we have you wait outside please?" Erin asks. Emily looks at her roommate and nods before going to the hall.

The girl on the bed screams and Erin asks if it's ok for her to examine her and she just nods.

"What's your name?" Shane asks.

"Marie."

"Ok Marie, we're going to get you to the hospital to deliver." Erin explains.

"What?" She asks, panic evident in her voice.

"Marie you're in labor."

"No no no, I can't be." She starts hyperventilating. "I can't be pregnant." She adds before her eyes roll back. Erin and Shane move quickly to get her on the backboard and out to the ambulance.

XXXXXX

Erin's finishes up the necessary paperwork but it takes longer than it should. Her mind is running wild, Marie's situation makes her start thinking about her cycle and her nausea. Eventually they head back to the firehouse.

"I don't understand how she didn't know she was pregnant?" Shane questions a few minutes into their drive.

"It's actually more common than you think, and the fact that you don't know that is kind of sad."

"But how do you miss the signs?"

"Some women don't have the _usual_ signs. Some women like Marie, don't even really show much. And some women just choose to deny it in hopes that it's not real!" Erin practically yells. Shane's brown eyes damn near pop out of his head as he turns to look out the window, he throws his hands up in mock defeat.

"I'm sorry." He says as she parks the ambo in the garage. She doesn't reply, instead just unbuckling her seatbelt, opening the door, and getting out of the rig.

XXXXXX

The next day Erin walks into the familiar pub and immediately feels out of place. The people she considers her family feel like strangers as she makes way to the bar. She only came to wish Kim a happy birthday and give her, her gift.

"Hey Erin, need a drink?" Adam shouts.

"Hey, uh not tonight Adam. Thanks though." She replies.

"Why's that?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why aren't you drinking tonight?"

"I have to work tomorrow."

"Oh ok, I thought you were going to say you're pregnant or something." Adam says just as Jay walks up to the bar. Jay intends to avoid eye contact with her, but when he hears Adam's last few words he can't help look at her to gauge her reaction. She looks at Adam with an expression that's a mixture of sadness, anger and fear.

"Even if I was—which I'm not saying I am—but if I was, I don't see how that is any of your business. I just came to give this to Kim but I'll give to her another time." She snaps, glancing at Jay before turning to leave. He knows her enough to know she wouldn't just go off like that for no reason, and he knows by the look in her eyes that something is bothering her. She almost walks into Kim, handing her the box and sadly whispering happy birthday as she continues out of the bar.

Jay gives his best friend a stern look, then glances at Kim. She nods in the direction that Erin just walked in, placing her present on the bar top as she too gives Adam a hard look.

Jay jogs to catch up to Erin and gently grabs her arm. "Erin, hey, hey what's going on?"

"I don't know." She mumbles as she continues to walk, he gently grabs her arm again after she pulls away..

"Is everything ok?"

"Not really." She says, her voice cracking.

Jay turns her so that she's facing him and gives her a pleading look.

"It's probably nothing."

"What are you talking about?"

"I-I'm late." She stutters. He releases her arm and takes a step back as he processes her words. A couple minutes go by and she feels tears forming in her eyes as he keeps quiet. He eventually nods and takes another step back. When he remains silent, Erin lets out a huff and turns to walk away. "Good talk. Bye Jay."

The sound of her car door slamming shut snaps him out of his daze and he runs his hands down his face. Mouse sees him from the alley when he tosses a bag of trash in the dumpster. He walks towards his best friend cautiously.

"Jay, you alright?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"Erin, Erin's pregnant, or she thinks she's pregnant. I don't know, she just said she's late."

"So why are you still standing here? Why aren't you going after her?"

"I don't know man, what kind of dad will I be?"

"A damn good one."

"I'm not ready, I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

"Well that's too bad because if she is pregnant she's going to need you and your baby is going to need you Jay. So get your head out of your ass and get the hell out of here."

Jay nods and crosses the street to his truck.

XXXXXX

She doesn't realize how long she sits on the edge of the tub with the box of pregnancy tests in her hand until she hears a knock at her front door. She puts the tests on the vanity and slowly walks out of the bathroom and down the hall.

When she opens the door, she's a little surprised to see Jay standing there. He's wearing a slight pout with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey." He greets.

"Jay I-"

"Before you say anything, I want to say I'm sorry."

"I get if you don't want anything to do with this, it's a lot."

"That's not it at-" He begins.

"I was just about to take the test, so if you want to just wait here, I'll only be a few minutes."

"Can I come in?" He asks. She nods before silently disappearing down the hall toward her bathroom. And he stands near the entryway and looks for Millie. He's confused when he doesn't see her. Erin comes walking back out only a minute or so later.

"Where's Millie?" He asks nervously.

"She's at the vet." She answers and she smirks sadly when he frowns. "She got spayed today and they just wanted to keep an eye on her tonight."

He nods. "So how long do the tests take?"

She looks down at her phone and sighs, showing him the screen. "Two minutes left."

"No matter what, I want to be here for you Erin."

"Do you really though Jay?"

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"No, why would you ask that?"

"You just walked out."

"Yeah, because you pushed me away Erin."

"I know-" She begins just as the timer goes off. Her finger taps the word dismiss and she lets out another sigh.

"Hey." He whispers, taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. "I'm here."

They walk to the bathroom together, hand-in-hand. She feels a wave of nausea as they step onto the tiled floor. Her hand is shaking as she reaches for the white and blue stick; looking up at Jay briefly before looking down at the little digital screen.


	16. Chapter 16

_They walk to the bathroom together, hand-in-hand. She feels a wave of nausea as they step onto the tiled floor. Her hand is shaking as she reaches for the white and blue stick; looking up at Jay briefly before looking down at the little digital screen._

XXXXXX

He doesn't say anything but she can feel his hand relax a little. Her heart aches more than she expected. Sure, she was petrified at the thought of being pregnant, but she realizes now how much she would love to have a baby. _His_ baby. But it's for the best—they're not even together. She doesn't realize that a tear rolls down her cheek until she feels his thumb gently wipe it away.

"Erin." His voice cracks a little and it makes her tears fall faster.

"I guess you're off the hook, huh?"

"Don't."

"Don't what Jay?"

"Don't act like you're the only one who's disappointed."

"Are you really trying to say you're disappointed? Because given the way you reacted earlier, and the way you physically relaxed when we found out the results, I'd think you'd be happy that it came up negative."

"I was taken aback Erin, but after talking it through, I kicked myself in the ass and drove here!" He yells as he moves to stand in front of her. Her head is down, tears still steadily rolling down her face. His hands move to cup her jaw and tilt her head so she's looking up. His heart breaks seeing her cry. "You act like you don't want me here, but this is the only place I want to be, here with you."

Erin brings her hands up to his chest, fisting his shirt before she gently pushes him away. His arms fall to his sides as she takes a step back.

"We can't Jay."

"Give me one good reason why. Tell me why we can't be together and I'll leave."

"Please just go, I want to be alone." She whispers as she turns to walk into her room.

He leans back against the vanity and looks at the plastic stick. His heart aches as he thinks of the what-ifs; tears form in his eyes and blur his vision. He blinks a few times and throws the test in the small garbage can on his way out of the bathroom.

His hand reaches for the knob of the front door before he stops himself. He doesn't want to leave;, he doesn't want this to be it.

He retracts his hand and moves towards the living room, picking up the picture frame that's lying on the middle cushion of the couch. His eyebrows furrow in confusion, not remembering it as one he and Kim had printed after the fire. But a sad smile makes its way onto his face as he recalls the tender moment between him and Erin. He lets out a sad little chuckle knowing neither of them knew the picture was being taken. It was taken at Firehouse 51 while she was still supposed to be taking it easy. He remembers telling her that she should be home resting as he looked lovingly at her and she watched her hands as she mindlessly fiddled with his red suspenders. In the photo she's wearing a sweet dimpled smile and he's smirking at her. He thinks about what he could to do to see her smile like that again. It's not long before he's looking up her favorite restaurant. He orders them each an entrée and a dessert online, looking back down at the picture as he waits.

Soon enough there's a knock at the door and Jay places the picture on the coffee table on his way to the front of the apartment. He signs the receipt he's handed before taking the food and giving the pen and small piece of paper back to the delivery guy. He closes the door with his foot and makes his way to the kitchen to grab them each a bottle of water. At first he thinks about leaving her to come out on her own but he knows she's too stubborn. The food gets balanced in one of his hands as he knocks on her bedroom door. As he expected, she doesn't answer.

"I'm coming in." Jay announces before entering the room. "I got us dinner."

"Jay." She whispers.

"And dessert." He adds as he places the large paper bag on the bed next to her.

The bed jostles as he sits in front of her, and she looks up at him with sad, tear-filled eyes. His hand rests on her knee and offers her some comfort. Looking at him causes her heart to clench and the tears she's been blinking back begin to fall. He gently pulls her to him and she ends up in his lap. Her face is buried in the crook of his neck, tears soaking the collar of his shirt. He holds her tight and places gentle kisses to her hair.

"I'm sorry." She whimpers.

He gives her another kiss before pushing her back slightly. "Look at me Erin." He asks, but she closes her eyes. "Please look at me babe." Her hazel orbs open and immediately lock on his green blue ones. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I do Jay, so I'm sorry. I'm sorry for pushing you away and upsetting you that night, and I'm sorry for tonight."

"I'm sorry too." He begins and she gives him a confused look. "I'm sorry that I ordered our food too early because it's going to be cold." He says with a smirk, hoping to lighten the mood.

She laughs a little at that, sniffles and lightly punches his arm.

"I'm serious Jay."

"I'm serious too." He counters as he wipes her cheek and leans in to press his lips against her forehead. Her eyes close as she fists the front of his shirt. "I am sorry that I walked away so easily and that I reacted the way I did tonight at the bar." He whispers against the crown of her head. They stay just like that for a few minutes.

"So what'd you get us?"

He pulls back, the corners of his lips curling up.

"Uber Eats delivers Purple Pig now." He explains as he turns a little to open the bag, handing her the top container and a fork.

"Blackhawks?" Erin asks as she picks up the remote and he nods before walking around to the other side of the bed. She turns on the TV and they both adjust themselves so their backs are against the headboard. The game has just started and there's already a fight. "It's surprising how much the Blues and Hawks hate each other."

Jay chuckles "It's nothing new."

"I know but they're only three minutes in and there's already going to be a game misconduct."

"Nah, I think they'll just give them each a five-minute penalty."

"I bet you it will be a game misconduct." She says confidently as she pauses just before the official calls it.

"I bet you my dessert that it's just a five-minute penalty."

"I'm not giving you my dessert." She retorts and he laughs.

"If you're right you'll have two."

"You're on." She replies quickly pressing play.

A victorious smile makes its onto her face as they rule it a game misconduct.

 _There's that smile,_ he thinks as she stays focused on the TV. "I missed this—missed you." He blurts out and she blushes and seems to have a hard time swallowing her food.

"Me too." She replies, giving him a smile before he returns his attention back to the game. She stares at him for a minute before looking down at her food, a small smirk remaining on her face.

They finish eating in silence, sneaking glances at each other here and there. When Erin's done she puts her empty container on the nightstand next to her and pulls out the desserts. He watches as she uses a spoon to dig into the slice of chocolate cake.

"Do you want some?" She asks and he shakes his head.

"You won."

"So?, I'm not going to be able to eat both of these Jay." She argues, scooping up more of the cake. "At least take a bite." She suggests, moving the spoon to his mouth. The moment seems to last for hours rather than a few seconds as she feeds him and swipes the chocolate frosting from the corner of his mouth.

Their eyes lock on each other's before Jay clears his throat and moves to stand up. She's not sure what just happened that made it suddenly become awkward between them, but she accepts that their moment is over. She suspects that he'll be going home now.

"I'll just take this stuff to the kitchen." He says, and she nods as she grabs some things too. They throw away their garbage and put the desserts on the counter.

"So I guess you probably need to go, huh?" She asks, and it's his turn to look at her in confusion.

"I was going to watch the rest of the game with you, but if you want me to go-"

"No." She says "I uh I was just wondering."

They walk back to the bedroom and sit back down. By the end of the game they're both asleep. Her head is on his shoulder and his head is leaning against hers.

XXXXXX

A few hours later, he wakes up to the sound of the shower running. The bathroom door is opened an inch or so, providing just enough light for him to see the empty side of the bed. He notices a small spot of blood on the sheets and looks back at the bathroom door.

He rubs his eyes before he gets up and removes the comforter and pillows checking them for any blood before pulling off the sheets and taking them to the washer. He rinses the spot with cold water before throwing it in the machine. When he returns with a fresh set, a glass of water, a heating pad and some aspirin, Erin is standing in front of her dresser wrapped in a towel.

"Sorry if I woke you." She whispers. He can tell she's embarrassed but he doesn't know how to reassure her that she has no reason to be.

"Can I do anything else for you?" He asks as he hands her the water and aspirin. The pink tint to her cheeks is evident even in the dimly lit room.

"No, thank you." She replies as she gets dressed and he puts the sheets on the bed and replaces the pillows and blankets.

Jay plugs in the heating pad before crawling back into the bed as she walks over to her side. "Thank you." She says when she puts the warm white pad on her lower abdomen and pulls up the comforter. Thinking about the test she took a few hours before, she feels foolish.

"If I just waited, I would have known-."

"Erin."

"But I appreciate you being here." She finishes.

"Always." He says and she nods, leaning towards him cautiously. Their lips brush against each other lightly at first but then she moves to give him a real kiss.

"I love you." She whispers against his lips, kissing him again.

"I love you too." He says back before they get comfortable and fall asleep.

XXXXXX


	17. Chapter 17

His truck drives better in the snow than the 300 so he drives her to work. They left earlier then they needed to, so Jay decides to walk into Firehouse 21 with her to waste some time before reporting to 51. She turns towards him giving him one last kiss before entering the brick building. When they walk through the door, they see a blonde woman a little taller than Erin talking to Battalion Chief Higgins.

"Chief." Jay nods.

"Halstead, how have you been?"

"Good, how are Claire and the kids?" Jay asks.

Erin doesn't miss the way the unfamiliar woman eyes Jay up and down, and even though she was the reason they took a little break, she definitely wasn't looking to give him up again. Her possessiveness takes over and she weaves her fingers with his and he gives her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Excuse me, are you a firefighter?" The blonde interrupts.

"I am. Are you?" Jay replies and it makes Erin smirk.

"No." She answers.

"This is Nora, she's working on next year's calendar." Higgins explains, and Jay immediately feels heat rise up his neck to his cheeks.

"Would you be interested?" Nora asks.

The tension in Erin's shoulders disappears as she bites her cheek, trying to contain her laughter. She gauges Jay's reaction and can't stop herself from smiling; her usually confident man looks almost bashful at the mere suggestion. His cheeks tint pink and his Adam's apple bobs when he clears his throat; he looks as if he's going to respond, but no words come out.

"Can he think about it?" Erin asks. "He actually has to get himself to work."

Nora nods in response, pulling out her card and handing it to Erin.

"It was good to see you Halstead." Higgins says, patting Jay's shoulder as he begins to walk away.

"Thank you. I'll try to convince him." Erin says and Nora gives her a sweet smile before following the Chief. Erin looks back at Jay who seems to be in a daze. "Jay," she nudges him.

"Hmm?" He hums, his eyebrows furrow but his eyes stay forward; he's staring into space as if in some kind of a trance.

"Babe?"

That gets his attention. He looks at her and she giggles quietly when she sees that his cheeks are still pink. Her free hand comes up to cup his cheek and she stands on the tips of her toes to give him a kiss. "You should get going."

Jay nods giving her one last kiss.

"I love you." Erin whispers against his lips.

"I love you too." He murmurs back, turning to leave.

XXXXXX

It's only been two weeks since she's set foot in the small pub, but she feels a bit anxious as she walks over to where Jay is already standing near the bar.

"Hey." Jay greets wrapping his arm around her back, his hand resting on her hip as he slides a beer in front of her.

"Hey." She says as she picks up the brown bottle. She takes a swig and then another before bringing the bottle back down to sit on the smooth countertop.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah."

He looks around before leaning in toward her "Don't lie to me." He whispers softly in her ear.

"I'm just a little anxious being here since…" She trails off, but he gets what she's talking about.

"Hey Jay, can you help me for a second?" Mouse calls from behind the bar.

"I'll be right back. Don't worry about Adam, he probably forgot about it." Jay whispers, placing a kiss to her temple.

She's picking at the label on her beer bottle when another one slides over to her. She looks up to see where it came from and sees Adam running his hand down his face, scratching at his beard briefly before he says anything.

"I uh, I just wanted to say sorry. You were right that night. It was none of my business."

"I appreciate that Adam, but I'm the one who should be sorry. I really shouldn't have gone off on you like I did." She says.

"I deserved it."

"No you didn't, and I'm really sorry." She argues.

"Don't be. I was an ass!" He exclaims.

"That's an understatement." Jay jokes as he joins them again.

"Oh so the next Mr. November has something to say?" Adam jokes.

Jay gives him a stern look. "Don't you have someone else to annoy?"

Adam takes the hint and walks away.

"Mr. November, huh? I'm surprised you told anyone about that, since you were speechless when she asked you."

"She took me by surprise."

"I don't know why."

"You do realize she basically asked me to pose half naked in my turnout gear for a calendar."

"I don't blame her." She raises her eyebrow seductively at him, her voice low and sultry.

"So you're ok with dozens of women hanging up a sexy picture of me in their house?"

"No." She starts messing with the sticker on the new beer bottle Adam gave her. "But you can pose for me."

"Really?" He asks, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah." She looks around and then leans in closer to him as he takes a swig of his beer. "What do you say Mr. November?" She whispers in his ear, her voice dripping with honey.

Suddenly he finds it hard to swallow. "We should get out of here." He mumbles.

"Hmm." She hums approvingly, already imagining him striping out of his turnout gear with nothing underneath but his boxers and red suspenders. He pulls out his wallet and practically throws money at Mouse before he pulls her towards the exit.

XXXXXX

He drives his truck into the underground garage and practically slams it into park. He reaches into the back and pulls out a large black duffel bag from behind her seat.

"What's that?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see." He says, giving her lips a quick peck as they both get out of the car. Once the door is unlocked, the rush is back and they stumble through the entryway. A small yelp halts their movements.

"Shit! Sorry Millie." Jay says when he realizes he accidentally stepped on her paw. He inspects her foot even though she doesn't seem phased—her excitement to see them outweighs anything else. They greet her before picking up where they left off.

He leaves a trail of her clothes behind them as they continue to the bedroom. When the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she falls back and he leans over her leaving a blazing trail of kisses down her neck and over her heaving chest, his lips teasing her through the lace of her bra. He moves back to her lips and then takes a step back.

"What's wrong?" She asks, propping herself on her elbows.

"Nothing, I'll be right back." He says, drinking in her body as if it was their first time. He disappears back down the hallway and she decides to move so she's no longer lying sideways on the bed. Millie takes advantage of the open door and comes to jump up by her. Erin pets her briefly before telling her to go to her bed. Millie leaves obediently, just as Erin hears Jay's footsteps getting closer. Her heartrate skyrockets and her breathing escalates even more when he reenters the room.

She's not sure why he keeps extra turn out gear in his truck, but she's incredibly grateful as he slowly moves to stand by the foot of the bed. The sight is even better than she imagined. He gives her a confident smile as the thick black and yellow jacket falls to the floor revealing his toned chest and torso. The red elastic of his suspenders are positioned on either side of the deep v of his hips. She squirms as he moves to the side of the bed.

He climbs onto the bed and moves to hover over her. Her hands immediately grab at the suspenders, pulling him down for a kiss. He tears at her panties and tosses the lace over his shoulder while her hands move down the red bands and into the front of his pants. He emits a moan as her delicate fingers wrap around his length, pumping a few times before pushing the suspenders off his shoulders and shoving his pants down just enough to free him. They stare into each other's eyes before he enters her in one swift motion; her head twisting to the side, both of them letting out a breathy sound as he slowly begins to move.

XXXXXX

"I think Mr. November is going to have to make more appearances." She pants against his sweaty chest, causing him to chuckle.

"I think that can be arranged." He agrees.

She tilts her head up to look at his face, one of her fingers teasing the line of hair running down the middle of his belly button. "Good." She murmurs against his lips as she leans in to give him a kiss.

When she gets up to go to the bathroom, he opens the door, knowing Millie will eventually come to scratch at the wood when she realizes they're sleeping without her snuggled at their feet. He pulls on a pair of boxers and heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth, but she stops him when her body collides with his.

She pulls one of his dresser drawers open and takes out the top shirt. It's a grey candidate shirt. She slides it on as she walks to the kitchen. She starts looking through the cabinets, pulling out flour, sugar, peanut butter and chocolate chips.

"You look much better in that shirt than I ever did." He says as he as walks up behind her. His shirt is hanging off of her, so he kisses her bare shoulder, mumbling against her skin. "What are you doing?"

"I want to make cookies." She answers nonchalantly, as if her craving _isn't_ completely random. He nods and chuckles before moving to pull out eggs and a large bowl from the cabinet above the fridge.

XXXXXX

They're standing on opposite sides of the breakfast bar measuring out ingredients. He was tasked with the peanut butter and she does the sugar and flour. Her eyes narrow as she looks at the flour in the measuring cup and he smiles at how serious she looks at the moment. He moves over to the side of the counter. He leans in toward her and she looks up at him just as his lips meet hers. He pulls away and lightly blows into the measuring cup, causing the flour to fly out and land all over Erin's neck and chest. Her jaw drops as she looks down at the front of the shirt she's wearing. She grins as she sets the glass cup down and grabs a handful of the white powder and tosses it at him. He grabs the measuring cup and throws the remaining flour at her. She quickly moves out of the way and the flour lands all over Millie's back.

"Jay." She says with a laugh. He thinks about the mess he's made but before he can think too much about it she moves to grab an egg out of the carton.

"Don't you dare." He warns as seriously as he can.

She rolls the egg in her hand; a devious smirk on her face; she briefly thinks about putting the egg down, but she just shrugs and tosses it at his chest. The shell cracks as if it was thrown at a wall. The egg white and yoke slide down the black ink of his tattooed pec. He looks down and then back up at her. He scoops up some more flour and she picks up the cookie sheet they set on the stove, using it as a shield. He moves to the side some but when she raises her makeshift shield, he decides to corner her and dump what he has on her head. He moves the cookie sheet down and the smile she's wearing causes him to smile.

"Move in with me." He mumbles after she gives him a kiss.

It's spur of the moment and a part of him wishes he could take it back as she gives him a questioning look. But the other, much bigger part of him doesn't regret saying it. He wants more moments like this, with her.

"What?" Her voice is calm, letting him know that he hasn't scared her.

His smile falters some, afraid of what she'll say as he repeats himself. "Will you move in with me?" His eyes look down at Millie as she brings them her caterpillar toy, wanting him to throw it for her. Her light blonde fur has flour sprinkled all over it and he chuckles lightly. Erin smiles at him before also looking down at her— _their_ —dog. "You don't have to answer now, I understand if you want to think about it." He says as she continues to look down at Millie.

Erin's hand cups his jaw, tilting his head so she can place a kiss on his lips. "I don't have to think about it Jay." By the disappointed look on his face, she can tell that he thinks she's going to say no.

"Right, it was just a thought." He shrugs as he begins to pull away from her.

She grabs his hands. "It's a nice thought, and I can't wait to move in." She says and his smile returns as he processes what she's saying. He cups her chin and pulls her up a little, molding his lips to hers.

They finish making the cookies before cleaning the kitchen.

"You can go take a shower if you want, I'll finish up in here."

"I thought maybe we could shower together." He suggests shyly.

"Can you give Millie a bath while I wait for the cookies?" She asks.

He nods. "Come on Mill." He commands and she walks alongside him all the way to the bathroom.

When the timer goes off, Erin pulls the tray of cookies out of the oven and sets them on the cooling rack. Once she's done, she goes to the bedroom and then into the bathroom. Jay's just finishing towel drying Millie when she walks in and when he's done the wet puppy runs off. He sets the towel on the rim of the hamper, reminding himself to wash it when they get out. He walks over to Erin who's adjusting the shower head and the water temperature. His hands move under the shirt she's still wearing and pushes it up a little before pulling it over her head. She turns in his arms and immediately pushes his boxers down as they move back into the shower.


	18. Chapter 18

He climbs over the extra pillow that's positioned in front of his chest and kisses the back of her neck a few times before rolling over to look at the time on his phone. He rubs his eyes for a minute as he sits up. He goes to the bathroom and starts the shower; he briefly checks the water temperature, then walks back out to the bedroom and climbs back into bed behind Erin.

"Babe." He mumbles against the skin just below her ear, his hand wrapping around her bare torso.

"Mmm. Five more minutes." She groans, causing him to chuckle.

There's no negotiating or arguing, he simply gets out of the bed again, walking back to the bathroom and turning the water off before going to the living room and letting Millie out onto the patio. The two year old dog still has the energy of a puppy—she almost knocks him down when she comes back inside looking for her treat. He pats her head as he goes to the kitchen and grabs a couple biscuits for her. He fills her water and food bowls before starting to do some things around the condo.

When he's finished tidying up, he ventures back to their bedroom. The bed is empty, the sheets tossed in all different directions, and he thinks about making the bed before going to take a shower, but the thought of his naked girlfriend standing under the warm stream of water takes priority over everything and he moves to the bathroom. His hands glide over her wet, smooth skin and rest on her lower abdomen.

She feels butterflies take flight in her stomach as his thumb rubs small circles over her skin before she turns in his arms and gives him a kiss, whispering, "Good morning."

His hands move to cup her upper thighs, and she jumps up wrapping her legs around his waist. Her core slides against his length once, then twice, before he enters her in one swift motion.

When they finish, she plants her feet back on the floor; her legs are wobbling a little, so he holds her waist to keep her steady.

"Happy Anniversary babe." She whispers against his lips, as they both struggle to catch their breath.

"Happy Anniversary." He says back, kissing her forehead as he reaches over her to grab her body wash.

XXXXXX

As she looks through their closet for something to wear, she's frustrated that he won't tell her about his plans for the night . He's sitting on the edge of the bed, glancing down at the new watch on his wrist, trying not to focus on the mess she is currently making.

"What about this?" She asks as she walks out in a tight light blue dress.

He looks up and his eyes travel up and down her body a few times not being able to voice his opinion, but knowing that this is his favorite so far. It's long sleeve with a slight v in the middle of her chest; it hugs her curves in the best way and stops just above her knees. He thinks it's sexy but tasteful, if that's possible. She sighs loudly, interrupting his thoughts. He stands up just as she turns to go back to search for a different dress. "Hey." He says, gently grabbing her wrist. "The dress is perfect, you look amazing."

"That's what you said about the last two."

"Well you do look amazing." He argues, kissing her pouty lips. "No matter what dress you put on." He adds.

"You know, I could shorten this process if you would just tell me where we're going." She says as she plays with the top button of his light grey dress shirt. She looks up at him flirtatiously, as if that'll get him to break. It seems like it almost works but then he shakes his head.

"That's not going to happen." He states.

She sticks her bottom lip out causing him to chuckle lightly.

"No." He says giving her a quick kiss. "Now go put some shoes on or we're going to be late." He adds, turning her around and playfully smacking her ass.

XXXXXX

She wants to take the blindfold off so badly, but every time she tries, he moves his free hand to hold both of hers in her lap. She feels the truck come to a stop after what she feels was about twenty minutes, and her heart races a little as she hears him get out. Soon enough, he opens her door and takes her hand, helping her out of the truck.

He shakes his head at the shoes she decided to wear, afraid she's going to end up hurting herself as he starts to lead her to the small table in the middle of the park where they had their first date. Once they're half way there he stops her from walking further so he can untie the scarf around her head.

She tries to blink back the tears that come to her eyes, but a few escape as she takes in the path of red rose petals that lead up to the small round table surrounded by more petals. Its set for two with a white cloth, candles in the middle, and two silver domes covering what she assumes is their food. He smiles at her and nods his head in the direction of the table when she looks at him.

"Is this ok? 'Cause if you want to go to an actual restaurant or something, we can totally do that. I wasn't sure if you would like—" He rambles nervously as more time passes without her saying anything, but she cuts him off when she stands up a little, her hands planted on the table as she leans over to place a kiss to his lips.

"I love you," She whispers, giving him another peck. "And this is perfect." She adds, calming his nerves.

"I love you too." He says back. His eyes are locked on hers as she sits back down. "So you remember when we came here for our first date?" His voice is shaking almost as his hands as he fiddles with the red velvet box in his pocket.

"It wasn't a date." She jokes, trying to get him to smile, sensing how nervous he is. He gives her a small smirk and she gives him an almost worried look as she answers. "It was the Indian Summer Food Truck Festival, Millie was still learning how to walk on the leash."

He chuckles at the memory of the little cream puff ball that Millie was when they first met. "Yeah, and do you remember what you said when I asked you what kind of food you would like?" He asks and as she thinks about it he lifts the silver cover off of her plate.

She laughs and nods when she sees the sandwich. "I said a pulled pork type of thing."

When they're almost done eating, he pulls out the two pink paper bowls out of the cooler under the table.

"Jay what are you—?" She begins to ask, but he sits back up and places one of the bowls in front of her. It's ice cream from the little shop called The Scoop where they went for their second date. Her eyes shine bright, her dimples popping ever-so-slightly as she looks at the small bowl in front of her; her hand blindly searches for her spoon and scoops up just a little bit of the frozen treat.

She stops eating her ice cream when she notices that he's not touching his. "What's wrong? Are you feeling ok?" She questions.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He lies.

"You're a horrible liar." She shakes her head "But seriously babe, you've been quiet since we sat down and you've barely touched your food or beer." She explains and she can see him gulp with her words. He takes a deep breath and wipes his sweaty palms on the front of his dress pants as he moves to the side of his chair.

"I've just been trying to figure out how to say this without sounding like an ass." He murmurs, pulling the box from his pocket. She's the one that grows nervous now as he avoids eye contact with her.

"Jay what's going on?" She asks, right before he moves to stand beside her.

"I've mulled this over in my head a thousand times over the last couple of months, and I knew I would be nervous, but I had no idea." He starts as he gets down on one knee.

Her hands fly to her mouth as her brain registers what's happening. "Jay." She says, her voice cracking a little.

He continues, "I used to think that there was no such thing as love at first sight. And a part of me still believes that, but the first time I saw you smile I thought my knees were going to give out. My heart fluttered and did things that I can't even begin to describe. With every moment I spent with you I fell for you more and more, every part of you. I'm still falling for you." He stops himself, moving to swipe his thumb across her cheeks as tears begin to fall. "You have ignited something so strong within me, a love that burns so bright. And I only hope that it grows as we build our lives together." He chuckles nervously at himself. "So now that I've rambled and probably sounded like a total idiot, Erin Lindsay, will you do me the incredible honor of marrying me?"

She seems to be in shock; his words play on repeat in her head and her heart swells. She leans forward and kisses him deeply.

He pulls back a little, but her hands remain on his cheeks. "Is that a yes?" He asks.

She nods. "Yes, yes, of course yes." She exclaims against his lips and this time he leans in to attach their lips. When he pulls away again, it's to place the ring on her finger. She looks at him as the silver band is slid onto her left ring finger. "I love you, so much." She whispers, leaning in once again to kiss him.

He stands, pulling her to her feet and starting to walk to his truck. She breaks her lips from his as the stumble away from the table. "Shouldn't we clean up?" She asks, looking behind her.

"I've got it handled." He answers and she shrugs, leading him to the truck so they can go back to their condo to celebrate their engagement.

XXXXXX

She switches between pacing around the Bride's Room in her white robe and emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet in the attached bathroom. Her nerves and the morning sickness had her crawling out of bed at the crack of dawn, and neither have let up for the last several hours. She tries to control her breathing as the minutes tick by and it nears the time she will be walking down the aisle. Her soon-to-be mother-in-law walks in with Kim, and Erin feels her heart rate increase even more knowing she'll need to finish getting ready.

"Erin breathe, we don't need the bride passing out minutes before she's supposed to walk down the aisle." Her fiancé's mom states and Erin nods, following her instructions. Erin knows that the older woman would not be so calm if she knew Erin and Jay's little secret.

They help Erin finish getting ready before they head out and leave her alone for a few moments. When she's ready, she takes another deep breath and continues to control her breathing as she exits the small room. Kim hands her the bigger bouquet of white, and navy daisies. Her best friend gives her arm a gentle squeeze before turning around and linking her arm with Adam's before they move toward the alter. Erin looks down at Millie right before the music starts, signaling for her to go. She pets her head briefly before looking up and adjusting her bouquet to cover the faint swell of her belly. She takes a step forward and Millie follows suit, staying right beside her owner as she walks down the aisle.

Jay stands at the altar in his navy blue dress uniform. He grows more and more anxious with every step she takes. She looks breathtakingly beautiful every day but today, right now, that would be an understatement. Her hair is swept to the side and curled slightly, her makeup is light, accentuating her natural beauty; the off-white gown she's wearing complements her glowing skin. His eyes travel down to her flowers in her hands and she smiles a little bigger when she sees him look at her belly. She moves the bouquet up just a smidge for him to see her tiny bump. The fact that she's carrying their child—their love personified within her—makes this moment, this day, even more special. He pulls at the collar of his shirt and fidgets in place as she takes the last couple steps to him.

His mom lets everyone know that they may be seated before she starts to talk. They asked if she could officiate the wedding shortly after they became engaged, and they don't regret it as she delivers a beautiful and unique speech that transitions seamlessly into the traditional vows.

Erin can practically feel him begin to bounce as they get closer and closer to being pronounced man and wife, and after his mom says those words—"you may now kiss the bride."—he mumbles, " _Finally_." Erin giggles as he gently pulls her so that she's flush against him.

The banquet hall echoes with the hoots and hollers of their family and friends as their lips meet for the first time as husband and wife. They both laugh against the other's lips when they hear Millie bark a couple of times. They pull apart shortly after, and Jay takes her hand and raises it up with his as they move to the edge of the altar. He makes sure she doesn't fall as she walks down the white wooden steps and then they ascend towards the room she spent hours getting ready in.

They're married. They have a baby on the way. And they feel as if they're on cloud nine as they walk under dozens of sparklers held up by their loved ones as they walk to the car that will take them to the airport. Their love for each other grew even stronger that day and burned brighter with every day that followed.

 _The End._

 ** _XXXXXX_**

 ** _A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you stay tuned for my next AU, According to Plan!_**


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